Osun-Osogbo River

 Gold Mining: A Threat to the Myths of Osun River

ZAINAB JUNAID

Osun River is one of the powerful river from Igede-Ekiti in Ondo State, which serves Osun, Oyo State - Asejire, Ogun State and Lagos State – Epe, before entering Lagoon and the Oceans.

It is known for providing for the needs of its people and has been able to give the barren- babies; and also change the lives of many.

It is one of the several rivers known for its local mythology—women turning into flowing waters after facing traumatic events that frightened or angered them.

Thereafter, it has tremendously turnaround to become a sacred and reserved area where dirt and other unlawful activities are not meant to take place all for its attributes of changing the lives of many positively.

But when this myth of serving as the main identity of Osun State people and the attribute of being symbolic to the African belief system, is being threatened by some illegal and unregulated gold mining activities that has attracted about 15000 illegal miners; the Chinese Miners inclusive, then danger looms.

A situation where the Sacred River gradually changed to cloudy colour, becoming unsafe for indigenous consumption, endangering the cultural and biodiversity significance of its nature, calls for drastic measures to be adopted by both the State and Federal Government for this menace to be curbed.

The River that is internationally recognized as the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) World Heritage center, is now contaminated with heavy metals that includes Lead, Mercury, cyanide among others.

A development that now serves as a threat to the river and the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove- a Grove that is several centuries old and is among the last of the sacred forests that once adjoined the edges of most Yoruba cities before extensive urbanization. Osun-Osogbo sacred grove is along the banks of the Osun river just outside the city of Osogbo, Osun State of Nigeria.

These unregulated activities have trapped many communities in the state, and caused them pains through the exploration of gold as the river is a main source of water for the people of Osun State.

The river started changing colour in 2018 as a result of this illegal and unregulated licensed gold mining activities at the upper course.

Both Federal and Osun State Government have been lukewarm about the life-threatening situation. despite several independent report by different organizations and the media on this development.

The Osun State Government on its part has remained unserious about the contamination, by only paying lip service to it without taking any significant move.

“The Federal Government under whose the root-cause (mining) falls have also not given the expected attention to the problem,” Anthony Adejuwon, Convener ‘Save Osun River’ CAMPAIGN and also Team Lead, Urban Alert had reported.

Also at an interactive session with journalists at a Water Reporting Summit jointly organized by Bertha Foundation and Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation with the theme—“A Nation in Thirst” recently, a recorded documentary rolled out depicted the lackadaisical attitude put forward by these illegal miners towards the river. This is a sign of no respect for the value of life.

Just as Mr. Kayode Ogunbunmi, Publisher City Voice newspaper, also confirmed that the impacted local communities are left to pay the cost of this illegal mining without getting any of its benefits, government need to adopt urgent resolution to abate this illegal act of the miners.

The Federal Government as a matter of urgency need to put an end to the continuous contamination of the river by these illegal gold miners; Make available Security Patrol Van at the River Bank to arrest any invader; Clean the river henceforth and ensure the enforcement of the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 which protects water bodies and mining host communities on all the illegal miners.

Government should also push forward policies that will help save over 2million people living in the 23 communities of the state who not only depend on the Osun River, but also see it as an identity of Osun State and also symbolic to the African belief system.