Oyo State government has decried loss of revenue to illegal mining and failure by registered mining companies to pay tax and other dues to the coffers of the State.
The Chairman, Oyo State Mineral Development Agency, Mr Abiodun Oni said this while on familiarization tour to mining sites at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday.
Oni said before the advent of the present administration, many illegal miners have been operating in the State without check and thereby causing a lot of havoc to the environment and the health of the people.
He sited mining sites where the activities abound to include some areas in Ibadan, Oke-Ogun and ibarapa where businessmen from other parts of the country, aided by some indigenes operated without check.
"Oyo State government is losing so much to illegal mining activities and this has been happening long before the present administration came on board, we are presently looking into ways by which we can stop this, it has to stop.
"Illegal mining contributes so much to degradation of the soil layers and causes a lot of damage to our ecosystem, we have to stop it and we are already in the process. that is why we are here to meet with those that are legally registered with the State to engage in mining business and facilitate a good rapport with them so as to engender cooperation.
"We will need their cooperation so as to be able to get them to do their constitutional obligations to the State, which is to pay their tax and dues for the State to develop infrastructures and maintain our environment."
Calling on the quarry owners and mining companies to give more cooperation to the State, Mr Abiodun Oni reaffirmed government's readiness to give them support for the growth of their business.
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