Explosion: I will not ban mining in Oyo – Makinde

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said that he will not ban mining activities in the state.

Makinde stated this when giving situation reports on the explosion which rocked Bodija in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday night.

The areas affected by the incident include Bodija, Agbowo, Eleyele, and Orogun.

The governor  had since blamed illegal miners, who stored explosive devices in one of the buildings in Bodija for causing the explosion.

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But he said that his government was on top of the situation, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu moved to help the state.

Makinde added that his government had provided temporary shelters for the victims and their families.

But when asked during an interview on Channels TV Politics Today if he was considering banning mining in the state following the incident, Makinde said, “My approach has been a little bit different.

“I will not go out to ban mining activities because there are people who are legally mining in the state. They may be international investors. You will give the impression that this is a lawless environment where we will not obey our contracts, what we signed with people.

“It is a difficult route to take. When we are swimming through the situation we have found ourselves, we will not have a knee-jerk reaction to the issue.”