Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) has disassociated itself from the mining company allegedly behind the explosion in Ibadan on Tuesday night.
Speaking with newsmen on Thursday, the National President, MAN, ‘Dele Ayanleke, said the mining company referred to as the organisation that illegally and allegedly stored the explosives that caused the blast, which claimed lives and destroyed property is not in their list of members based on the documents seen.
The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, in an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today, pointed out that the Corporate Affairs Commission, certificate of a mining company indicted for the explosion showed some foreign names as owners.
He said: “The Company Governor Seyi Mkinde is referring to as allegedly a stored explosive in a building is not a registered member of the Miners Association of Nigeria.
“We do not have that company in our register and we do not know them.
“There are a lot of mining companies operating in the sector who are not registered members of our Association.
However, he said “the documents traceable to this company should be known by the Solid Minerals Ministry because they were given mining leases officially to operate, so I think the Ministry should have their records.”
Meanwhile, he earlier noted that the Association is also concerned with the way explosives were stored in a residential area of Ibadan.
However, Ayanleke, maintained that the mining industry is handled professionally with regulations and procedures as far as safety issues are concerned.
He said, “We first and foremost, reflect on the collateral damages of this incident, commiserate with the victims and pray for the repose of the souls of the dead.
“We are in a knowledge industry with rules, regulations and procedures for handling every aspect of our operations.
“How do we describe a driver with a valid driving licence and driving against traffic rules?
“Should a legal miner handle explosives carelessly to the point of storing them in buildings, instead of the dedicated magazines in the quarry or mining site?”
He also called on miners to exercise restraint and patience while they await the outcome of the ongoing investigations on the explosion.