AKIN OGUNBIYI, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in the forthcoming governorship election in Osun state has claimed that there are five licensed mining companies operating in the state.
He further added that the government handed the licences to Chinese companies, saying they could have partnered with internationally-recognised mining companies.
Ogunbiyi made these claims on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, during the Osun governorship debate streamed live on Arise Television.
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“This government has five licences. Instead of partnering with internationally recognised mining companies, they chose to partner with the Chinese,” he said.
From his comments, the following claims were established:
CLAIMS
- That Osun state has five licensed mining companies.
- That the five licensed mining companies in Osun state belonged to the Chinese.
CLAIM 1: Osun state has five licensed mining companies
THE FINDINGS: Available data show that the claim is TRUE.
According to the data from Nigeria’s Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, there are five valid mineral title holders in Osun State.
The five companies are Kareem Mutiu Adubi, Nigerian Mining Corporation Inc, Nigerian Mining Corporation Inc (same NMC but with another Licence ID), Omoluabi Mineral Promotion Company Limited and Segilola Resources Operating Ltd.
CLAIM 2: The five licensed mining companies in Osun state belonged to the Chinese
THE FINDINGS: Available data show that the claim is FALSE.
Data from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development show that the Nigerian Mining Corporation Inc. (NMC) owned two of the five licensed titles. Additional findings from the Bureau of Public Enterprises show that the NMC is 100% owned and funded by the Federal Government under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
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Also, Segilola Resources Operating Limited (RC – 1103991) and Omoluabi Mineral Promotion Company Limited (RC – 1194508) are private companies owned by Nigerians and legally registered by the nation’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) while Kareem Mutiu Adubi is identified in the ministry’s database as a corporate body but not legally registered with the CAC.
The data revealed that none of the mining companies belonged to the Chinese.
THE VERDICTS
The claim that Osun state has five licensed mining companies is TRUE, while the second claim that the five licensed mining companies in Osun state belonged to the Chinese is FALSE; data from the Nigerian government’s Ministry of Mines and Steel Development have shown.
