Governor Ademola Adeleke has welcomed the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Mines on Osun State’s tax disputes with Thors Explorations Limited, clarifying that the state has validated claims within the context of the Constitution and extant laws.
This stance was made known in a statement by Olawale Rasheed, the spokesperson of the Osun governor, on Sunday in Osogbo.
The statement revealed that Governor Adeleke had earlier reached out to the Minister of Mines, Dele Alake, where he said the state supports all efforts to drive foreign direct investment into Nigeria.
Governor Adeleke, however, insisted that investors also must be transparent, obey local laws and protect the environment from degradation.
Explaining that the state government had opened discussions and negotiations with Thors Exploration since 2023 without any results, Adeleke said: “Segilola Resources Operating Limited has accumulated tax liabilities of N3.25 billion with a demand notice issued in April 2024.”
The governor, who said Osun has the legal rights to collect tax liability, also noted: “Thors Explorations was operating six other companies on the site without disclosure to the state government for tax and environmental accountability purposes.”
He listed the companies to include SINIC Engineering Limited, ATF Consulting Limited, Monument Nigeria Limited, Rabaa Cleaning Limited, Deep Rock Drilling Services and CEFO Security Limited.
The governor submitted further: “Thor Exploration Limited confirmed that Osun has five million, one hundred and ninety-two thousand, eight hundred and ninety-six units of shares of Thor Exploration, United Kingdom.”
He insisted that Osun is entitled to collect financial implications to date as a shareholder.
While lamenting the extensive environmental degradation occasioned by Thors’ mining activities in Osun State, Governor Adeleke said: “The company has a duty to pay for environmental reclamation even as the environment is on the concurrent legislative list.
“Osun State has a robust partnership with the Federal Ministry of Mines. Our state has several mining licenses. So we are critical stakeholders with a deep understanding of the laws and the constitution. Our action is to get what is due to our state as affirmed by extant laws and practices.
“We have a robust ease-of-doing-business environment and we have several investors in various sectors of our state economy. We are only opposed to a lack of transparency and accountability in the operation of the mining sector. Local laws must be respected and obeyed, as is the practice in Europe and North America and the environment must be reclaimed.
“So we look forward to receiving the federal fact-finding team. We have prepared our position. Thors cannot hide under mining being on the exclusive legislative list to avoid local tax, deny shareholders their rights and violate our environment with impunity.”
In the heat of the exchange between the Osun State Government and Thors Explorations Limited, the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development cautioned against actions that could undermine foreign investment, following the closure of a gold mining site in the state.
The warning came after the Osun government sealed the premises of Segilola Resources Operating Limited, SROL, accusing the company of tax violations and unethical practices.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, had expressed concern over the impact of the closure on Nigeria’s efforts to attract foreign direct investment to the mining sector.