|
BNW |
|
B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Minister vows to revoke bitumen exploration contracts KEHINDE AKINYEMI, Abeokuta
MINISTER of Solid Minerals Development, Elder Odion Ugbesia, has given indication that the bitumen exploration project of the Federal Government might be reviewed if meaningful result from the contractors handling the project was not met by the end of the year. The development came as the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, canvassed for international funding on the bitumen exploration in the country from the Federal Government to boost the development of state�s bitumen exploration considered to be the largest in the country. Speaking during a courtesy visit on the governor at the Government House, Oke-Igbein, yesterday the minister said the need to review the bitumen project by the end of the year had become imperative. According to Ugbesia: "We have spoken with the two companies handling the project informing them that the President had directed that if at the end of the year there is no meaningful progress in terms of production, there is no option than to review their contracts again." The minister hinted that the present administration had placed emphasis on bitumen exploration and solid minerals development and as such, "we must ensure that we achieve our target in those areas." "This is the two major focus of the administration, since it has been proved that solid mineral development if given the needed impetus can take over the oil as our major dependence, which has been creating undue distortion." The activities of the illegal miners , the minister said was another area of concentration, lamenting that the middlemen only had been the only beneficiaries of the country�s mining industry. He noted that in this light, the government intended to train the illegal miners "and may be provide a kind of soft loans for them, monitor their activities and remove the negative effects of the activities in their environment." Responding, the state governor, Daniel said having noted the report about the bitumen projects, it would not be out of place to have the issue revisited, especially by looking inwards for local contractors. The governor said: "The problem may be over after all, if the original landlords are given the project to handle. And, since it can be proved that Ogun State has the largest dumpsite of bitumen, given the licence to the Gateway Bitumen Company would not be out of place. "What we can assure you is utmost co-operation and that we have the right people and right attitude to work with. And we can assume that the problem of the Niger-Delta will not suffice in the state." Daniel further enjoined the Federal Government to consider the state as a beneficiary of the International Fund for bitumen explanation since the state played major role in the bitumen deposit in the country. |
|
||||||||||||
