http://www.punchng.com/feature/osun-communities-sleeping-on-gold-living-in-poverty/

Poverty everywhere

Like Owu-Epe, Igun lacks a functional hospital, a secondary school, potable water, roads and other basic social amenities that make life worthwhile despite being blessed with so much gold. The people live in poverty, wuth daily survive. Many households survive on less than N500 a day. The bulk of that sum goes into providing water and food ingredients. To support their families, many women have taken to petty trading in Ilesa while the men sign up to menial jobs in nearby towns.

Peter Oluduro, another leader in the town told Saturday PUNCH that successive administrations at every level of governance have done nothing to address their sufferings. He said they have been left at the mercy of illegal miners who invade their land and steal their common wealth – gold.

“If our government were sincere, our community would have been very beautiful going by all the promises they have made to us. We have benefitted nothing from the government over the years despite all the wealth that has been taken from our land.

“There is nothing in our hospital which is about 50 years old. There is no single drug there. The health workers don’t even come regularly because there is nothing for them to work with. My daughter who fell into labour recently was rushed to Ilesa because the hospital cannot even take care of her. The situation is that bad,” he said.
Ajilore, Durojaiye

Ajilore, Durojaiye

But while residents in places like Owu-Epe, Igun and Ijana decry the destruction of their environments and sources of livelihoods, things are not also completely rosy for the young men who dig through their farmlands every day, hoping to hit gold. For many in this category, the search for the precious metal and hope of a better life often end in total disappointment, sometimes disaster.

“I was introduced to this business when I was 15 by my brothers,” Hassan Ahmed, 23, told our correspondent who stumbled on him and his gang in the forest through the help of a commercial motorcyclist who understands the terrain. “Two of them died in Niger State when the pit they were inside collapsed on them,” he continued. “Before we noticed and could rescue them, they were dead already. It was a bad experience for me as a little boy then but it did not make me stop the job because I have to survive.

“Recently, I was badly injured when a pit I was inside collapsed on me. I still feel pains all over my body but I have to continue or else there would be no food for me. If I am able to raise enough money to buy a motorbike, I would leave this job,” he said.

Ahmed had a deep cut on his palm when he climbed out from one of the pits on the field. A sharp object had inflicted a two-centimeter wound on his right hand while sifting through mud in search of the precious metal. With no analgesic within reach, he simply tied a rag on the cut, before hitting it hard with a small stick.

“That would stop the bleeding,” he said, turning to our correspondent with a friendly gaze. “This is part of what we face every day on this job. Many of us did not attend school and so this is the only means we know by which to feed ourselves. But I don’t plan to continue with this job for long, it is killing me gradually,” he said.

At 27, Sanni Mohammed, is another young man whose hope of an instant jackpot at Owu-Epe’s gold field is gradually turning into frustration. Journeying from Kaduna to the area in search of a new life, Yusuf told Saturday PUNCH that the trade is no longer as lucrative as it used to be.

“On several days we dig for hours without finding a trace of gold. But sometimes when luck smiles on us, we could leave the field with N2, 000 each. But for several weeks now, all we get after digging for so long is not more than N1, 200 when sold. By the time the group shares the money, each person could get around N300, it is from that money that we feed and buy drugs,” he said.

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I heard APC represents change, never knew there is large scale poverty hidden under all the noise

APC change is all about oil wells

This is bad really.

Have you seen the picture of Nigeria under Jonathan?

very sexy

hahahaha

PassingShot:
This is bad really.

Have you seen the picture of Nigeria under Jonathan?

yes

If you have not been to Osun State and is swallowing all these things APC e-thugs are talking you will think that they are serious.

I was in Osun August last year since then I stop replying Nigerians and their lies, we need to start travelling in this country seriously

APC brand of peace,Tinubu monthly settlement won't allow them to build capital infrastructure

OP Thank you! But this does not justify Jonathan's cluelessness and inefficiency.

barcanista:
OP Thank you! But this does not justify Jonathan's cluelessness and inefficiency.

hypocrite alert

OkijaAmaka:
If you have not been to Osun State and is swallowing all these things APC e-thugs are talking you will think that they are serious.

I was in Osun August last year since then I stop replying Nigerians and their lies, we need to start travelling in this country seriously

thank you bro!

APC and propaganda are siamese twins!

If d guy actually failed he won't be dat popular, are u expecting everything to be perfect, ask osun ppl how the state was and aw it is now,u now brought one picture to discredit d man wen everything he did in osun is evn visible to the blind

barcanista:
OP Thank you! But this does not justify Jonathan's cluelessness and inefficiency.

neither does it justify Aregbesola's lies.

nicklaus40:
If d guy actually failed he won't be dat popular, are u expecting everything to be perfect, ask osun ppl how the state was and aw it is now,u now brought one picture to discredit d man wen everything he did in osun is evn visible to the blind

well whatever magic he performed the above community does not know Government exists, so please politics aside if you are close to Aregbe tell him to help those guys, they deserve at least drinking water

Hmmmmm, God is washiN

The thing most South-Western APC supporters fail to realize: Just because most Igbo people create threads on their own to expose TA Orji's ineptitude and failure, is NOT enough reason for you to, ever in your wildest imaginations, believe your governors from APC are better administrators than theirs are.
PDP in general has a very weak propaganda structure, so their failures are easier to detect, unlike the APC centurions who hide their incompetence underneath endless layers of lies.
There is no difference between the two at the end of the day, and you're not helping matters by vouching for these dumbasses even when they fail.
That Fashola light rail scam said it all.
I hope you like Aregbe's progressive hospital.

Real bad, but I think it isn't peculiar to osun, this is why I think APC is frustrated arm of PDP.

There is absolutely no state in Nigeria, whether PDP or APC controlled, that all it's medical facilities is in excellent conditions. I have not been to osun state, so i don't know the general state of facilities in their hospitals. If you go to federal govt owned hospitals nation wide,not all are in excellent condition.

rozayx5:


well whatever magic he performed the above community does not know Government exists, so please politics aside if you are close to Aregbe tell him to help those guys, they deserve at least drinking water

d community may be suffering and I hope d gov can do sumtin abt dat but u cnt just conclude with one community abt his administration, of cos everyone has his/her shortcomings, only dat ur shortcomings should not overshadow ur achievements

nicklaus40:
If d guy actually failed he won't be dat popular, are u expecting everything to be perfect, ask osun ppl how the state was and aw it is now,u now brought one picture to discredit d man wen everything he did in osun is evn visible to the blind

forget popularity
think reality

Hitler was popular so was idi amin

nicklaus40:
d community may be suffering and I hope d gov can do sumtin abt dat but u cnt just conclude with one community abt his administration, of cos everyone has his/her shortcomings, only dat ur shortcomings should not overshadow ur achievements

^^ pauls letter to the corinthians NEXT

customized13:
Real bad, but I think it isn't peculiar to osun, this is why I think APC is frustrated arm of PDP.

sure and the mods dont want to take it to frontpage, but they can take a picture of a police station in benue

Kenai:
The thing most South-Western APC supporters fail to realize: Just because most Igbo people create threads on their own to expose TA Orji's ineptitude and failure, is NOT enough reason for you to, ever in your wildest imaginations, believe your governors from APC are better administrators than theirs are.
PDP in general has a very weak propaganda structure, so their failures are easier to detect, unlike the APC centurions who hide their incompetence underneath endless layers of lies.
There is no difference between the two at the end of the day, and you're not helping matters by vouching for these dumbasses even when they fail.
That Fashola light rail scam said it all.
I hope you like Aregbe's progressive hospital.

And Fashola's progressive schools.

rozayx5:


forget popularity
think reality

Hitler was popular so was idi amin

That is what scares me about Buhari supporters they are similar to the supporters of Hitler, no matter how much blood Hitler spills, just like Buhari supporters it turns them on more.

biafranqueen:
That is what scares me about Buhari supporters they are similar to the supporters of Hitler, no matter how much blood Hitler spills, just like Buhari supporters it turns them on more.

Six more weeks of this is what the PDP is hoping will turn the tide in their favour?
Nope! If in the next six weeks boko haram is still a menace to Nigerians, Jonathan is finished.
If naira is still hovering at N 200 to $1.00, Jonathan is finished.
If electicity hasn't improved Jonathan is finished.
And so and so forth.

With all the hype I read on Nairaland...Only the road to Osogbo, the Osun state capital o, made me wonder if truly there was a governor in the state.

Zuria:
With all the hype I read on Nairaland...Only the road to Osogbo, the Osun state capital o, made me wonder if truly there was a governor in the state.

my sister did her NYSC there, and she always escaped to lagos at the slightest opportunity, she said the place is hell

no toilets, most of them use bushes, or the roadside

Nigerians lie to themselves a lot.

Even when there is nothing to write home about a certain politician, we still defend them.

Even when we catch them stealing our money, we'll still defend them publicly.

Me I no fit defend any politician again. O

Trailblazer1:
Nigerians lie to themselves a lot.

Even when is there nothing to write home about a certain politician, we still defend them.

Even when we catch them stealing our money, we'll still defend them publicly.

Me I no fit defend any politician again. O

when igbos on NL bash orji for poor performance their SW counterparts live in denial even if their governor is a failure they still polish him to make themselves feel better

mods

This one is Ogbeni wonders