Minister of Mines and Steel Development Musa Sada and the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Ajagungbade, have praised the urban renewal programme of the Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration.
Sada spoke on Monday during a visit to the governor in his office in Ibadan, the state capital.
He said he was impressed with the beautification of the environment, adding that it has changed the face of Ibadan and major towns in the state.
The minister said: “I was in Oyo State on an official visit about two years ago and as an architect, I am very impressed with what I am seeing now. A lot of attention has been paid to the environment.”
He thanked the state government for its cooperation and support to the Federal Government on the exploitation of mineral resources in Oyo.
Sada, who was in Ibadan to open an International Conference on Mining and Geo-Sciences, said: “It is not a coincidence that the conference is taking place in Oyo State, which happens to be one of the major mining states in the country. This largely influenced the selection of Ibadan for this important conference.”
Noting that there had been no controversy between the Federal Government and Oyo over the control of minerals, he said: “I thank you for supporting our efforts to exploit Nigeria’s mineral wealth for the benefit of the people.”
The minister said 34 types of minerals had been discovered in about 500 locations in the country.
He said the Federal Government would assist states in the exploitation of mineral resources.
Ajimobi, who was represented by his deputy, Chief Moses Adeyemo, urged the Federal Government to diversify the nation’s economy from oil and exploit other avenues of revenue generation.
He said the state government would partner the Federal Government to ensure that Oyo’s mineral resources are fully exploited for the benefit of the people.
The Soun of Ogbomoso spoke in his palace while hosting the State Compensation Team, led by the Commissioner for information, Taiwo Otegbeye.
The team is charged with the responsibility of compensating people, whose buildings were demolished to give room for the right-of-way.
Oba Ajagungbade urged the governor to dualise more roads in the town.
At a meeting with the claimants, Otegbeye warned them to beware of fraudsters, adding that the government has not asked anybody to collect money from them before they are compensated.
He said compensation would be paid to legal owners of the demolished structures after enumeration and valuation.
Otegbeye said there was need to clarify family houses, personal houses and communal structures to prevent a legal tussle over the payment.
