By Iyabo Adebisi

Against the backdrop of his administration’s determination to expand the economy of Oyo State through solid mineral development, Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has called on traditional rulers in Oke-Ogun to collaborate with the government in its effort to protect the mining communities.

The governor stated this during the coronation and presentation of staff of office to the 30th Aseyin of Iseyinland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Sefiu Olawale Oyebola held at the Iseyin District Grammar School, Iseyin.

Governor Makinde, who stressed that the current regime in mining within the state must change so that host communities and the state can derive value from mineral resources, said: “A few weeks ago, I signed the Executive Order No 1 of 2023 and it deals with protecting the mining communities. The Kabiyesi and community leaders used to sign documents for the miners but this has to change.

“The Order is to protect the mining communities and ensure that the miners give to the communities and the state what is due to us. Right now, our resources are being carted away with nothing coming back to us and the Order will stop that.”

He equally appreciated the people of Iseyin for their massive support during the March 18, 2023 general election, just as he commended the people of Iseyin for their support in making the College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources, a campus of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, located in their domain, a reality.

He thereafter named the entrance road into the campus “Aseyin Road.”

Speaking on how the emergence of the new Aseyin was smooth and seamless, the governor hailed the kingmakers in the community for being good custodians of tradition, stating that they upheld the tradition and did not allow themselves to be influenced.

“I am happy to be here for the coronation of the 30th Aseyin of Iseyinland. 30 is a unique number. Today is a happy day for us and the gathering is a victory for the sons and daughters of Iseyinland as well as our traditional system.

“The new Aseyin never came to me; he did not lobby me before he was appointed, and I did not hear that the kingmakers collected money to back him for the throne.

.The governor equally noted that there are several areas of economic focus around Iseyin, including the Ikere Gorge Dam, to which, according to him, the state government will construct an access road to facilitate investors’ interest in the power generation setup in the axis.

Making his first official speech after receiving the staff and instrument of office, the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Oyebola, thanked the governor, declaring that it was a new dawn in Iseyin.

He noted that his rulership would hinge on three cardinal points of peace, unity and prosperity, saying: “I wish to express my readiness to make the best use of this opportunity to serve not only my subjects but the generality of our people in Oke-Ogun as a whole.”

Earlier the Oyo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters,  Olusegun Olayiwola, charged the new Aseyin of Iseyin to be alive to his traditional responsibilities, while also urging the people of Iseyin to support and cooperate with the Oyo State Government to deliver on its Roadmap for Sustainable Development.

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