Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State
Ebonyi state is one of the states in the South east of Nigeria that is endowed in solid minerals including lead and zinc but without modern technologies and facilities to process these raw materials, harnessing them for the development of the country’s economy remains a tall order and unfulfilled dream.
Governor Dave Umahi buttress this fact as he received the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Uche Oga, in his courtesy visit that also preceded the official handing and taking over of the landed property donated by the state government for the establishment of a solid mineral processing plant for the south east zone.
The federal government is developing the project across the six geo-political for processing of solid minerals.
In his words, the governor said: “I was to set up a factory under the programme of solar energy and I was jubilating that we have the highest deposit of lead and zinc in Ebonyi state. We have 90% component but the Chinese told me that these layers must be transported to China and processed and brought back to us. So, I said what does it take Nigeria to set up one processing plant.”
“If you do that solar energy will become a thing of the past.”
According to the Minister, he explained that the establishment of the mineral processing cluster in each of the six geo pollical zones of the country will create sustainable competitive advantages to the development of the downstream sector of the mining industry. “It is a project that will assist the artisanal miners and in fact, many Nigerians are going to benefit from project.”
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