Land Desecration: Ex-Ambassador To The Netherlands, Eniola Ajayi Decries Miners Activities In Osun Community
- Calls For FG, State Intervention
A former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Eniola Ajayi, has raised the alarm over the ongoing degradation at Ileki Ijesa along Ilesha-Ile Ife road.
Ajayi, who is a former Ekiti State Commissioner, in a video she posted on her Facebook page, called on the Federal government and the Osun State government to check the brazen activities of the miners.
The former envoy who captured the situation in the video while moving along the road, said the search for gold or anything does not have to be destructive on the environment, urging both the federal and Osun State governments to address the issue.
“Calling on the FGN and the Osun State government to check the brazen degradation of the environment at Ileki Ijesa along Ilesha-Ile Ife road in the name of mining.
“The search for gold or anything else does not have to be destructive on the environment,” the video caption stated.
OSUN DEFENDER had reported the activities of illegal miners in some communities in Osun State.
In 2024, OSUN DEFENDER in a special report, narrated how illegal miners were degrading two communities in Ijesaland.
The communities – Oke Odo and Isale General Community in Ilesa were badly degraded by local miners who moved from one area to another leaving the land unrehabilitated after mining.
Residents of the area who spoke to Osun Defender lamented the damage done by the local miners to their community, attributing the menace to the involvement of some politicians and powerful people in the area.
The residents noted that some politicians gave the miners access to operate in the area because they were also receiving kickbacks.
Osun Defender while compiling the report, moved to some of the abandoned land where mining had taken place in the community, and it was an eyesore
Similarly, in 2025, OSUN DEFENDER reports that residents of Aberensise Community in Akinlade Estate of Ilesa Garage Area, Osogbo, raised the alarm over increasing activities of suspected illegal gold miners who reportedly took over a large portion of the community.
This was as the residents called on the state government under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke to come to their rescue and take decisive action to halt illegal mining activities before irreversible damage is done.
According to residents, the activities of the miners already pose adverse effects on their environment, including land degradation, destruction of farmlands, threats to buildings, and growing fears of water contamination, especially given the estate’s proximity to the Ọ̀sun River.
Meanwhile, OSUN DEFENDER had reported that the state government is also losing a huge sum of money to the menace of illegal miners operating in the state for several years.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
