Fact-Check: No Evidence Governor Adeleke Sold Osun Mining Licenses

Claim: An X user, @IfedolapoOsun, claims that the governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has sold all the 19 mining licenses belonging to the state.

Verdict: Misleading

Full Text:

In a post found on X dropped by Governor Ifedolapo Osun on 11th May, 2026, he alleged that the governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has sold off all the 19 mining licences of the state.

The post reads, “Osun has 19 mining licences; Adeleke has sold everything… Who he sold them to, we don’t know till today.”

Osun State possesses several solid minerals distributed across different local government areas, which are an abundance of untapped natural resources in large commercial quantities with verified geological survey reports. While mining sites are on the exclusive list, the president is vested with the power to license individuals or states, which saw the Osun State Government acquire 19 Mineral Titles/Licences (12 for gold, 5 for quartz & feldspar and 2 for lead & zinc).

Screenshot of the claim made by an X user

At the time this report was compiled, the post received 45 comments, 85 retweets, 598 likes, and 36.2k views, drawing a range of reactions. Some people considered the claim false, others believed it, while some remained indifferent here, here, and here.

Hence, given the nature of the claim, especially coming from Osun State, which is preparing to hold its governorship election on August 8th, 2026. It is common to find politicians and their supporters making comments and figures that misinform the people. This made the NDRFactcheck verify this statement.

Verification

NDRFactcheck investigation found that Governor Ademola Adeleke intervened to stop the possible forfeiture of Osun mining licences and met with the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Agency for revalidation processes. The licences were allegedly almost sold off in the last days of the former governor Gboyega Oyetola’s administration through what appeared like a deliberate refusal to revalidate the licences by paying the required fees to the federal mining licensing body.

Recent reports from both the Osun State Government and independent media indicate that Osun still has 19 active mining licences under its investment framework. In Cape Town, South Africa, Governor Adeleke used a mining investment forum to invite local and foreign investors to the state’s mining sector. None of these reports says the licences were sold.

We contacted the government through the governor’s media aide, Malam Olawale Rasheed, via WhatsApp. He said the previous administration under Gboyega Oyetola allegedly failed to renew and revalidate the licenses before they began to expire. According to him, after Governor Ademola Adeleke took office, the administration paid to revalidate the licenses and started converting them into mining leases, although the process has faced delays.

Conclusion
The NDRFactCheck investigation found that although Osun State holds 19 mining licences, there is no evidence or credible report showing that the licences were sold. The claim is therefore misleading.

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