Edo State commissioner for mining and energy, (Oil, Gas and Power) Hon. Enaholo Ojiefoh has hinted of plans by the state government to maximise the abandoned economic potential of solid minerals in the state.
Ojiefoh, who spoke at an interactive session with newsmen in Benin City, Edo State, said the large deposit of coal, lithium and dolomite alone in different parts of the state, can become a multi-billion dollar source of additional revenue for the state just as he noted that plans are in top gear to achieve that.
He said to achieve its laudable ideals, the government created three new units in the ministry such as Investment, Research and Power.
He stated, “For coal alone, we have four million metric tonnes deposit in just two local government area within Owan axis of Edo North, if we are able to harness it, it is going to run into billions of dollars for us because at the moment it is about $25,000 metric tonnes and multiple that by 1000 metric tonnes you can guess what we are talking about. For Lithium, annually it is over $200 billion if properly harnessed, for gold it is more than that and same thing goes with dolomite.”
The commissioner said the ministry now has a database of all investments, opportunities and stakeholders and every other thing about the ministry which can be easily accessed.
“At a click you will know what is happening in the oil and gas sector in the state. That means just at a click you can see all the filling stations you have in the state.
The number of mining companies you have in the state.
Everything that concerns the Ministry you just see in our database. We are just waiting for some data to add up so that we can launch the database,” the commissioner stated.
He added that the weekly market report on solid minerals in the state is to avail the people to know the market value of the mineral prices in the state adding that it is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
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