Ebonyi Salt potentials hit FG’s development radar as Ministry mulls takeover
Visiting Minister of State Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uchechukwu Ogah, has revealed the Federal Government’s readiness to take over the salt development project in Ebonyi State with a view to changing the production narrative from crude to innovative industry that will generate revenue and employments.
Ogah said Ebonyi Salt deposits are in commercial quantity and as such should be inside the Federal Government’s solid minerals development scheme going forward.
Explaining more when he paid a visit to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, during which he also inspected some of the salt lakes in the state, Ogah described Ebonyi as one of the forerunners in terms of solid minerals with great potential for economic transformation of the country.
He assured that in no distant time, the project would be handled under the Presidential Initiative on Development of Salts (PIDS) and disclosed that consultants had already been brought into the state to look at how its salt deposits could be developed.
Business Hilights South-East Bureau chief recalls that even before the Nigeria/Biafra civil war, Ebonyi Salt industry domiciled in Uburu Community and environs had been a major revenue earner for the people.
According to Minister, “There is a Federal Government project which is called Presidential Initiative on Development of Salt in Ebonyi State and we have brought consultants to look at how they can develop the salt project.”
“We are here to seek collaboration with the governor in terms of optimisation of our revenue, working closely with the state government to see how we can increase the revenue of the Federal Government through royalty.
“Ebonyi being one of the forerunners in terms of solid mineral, we believe that there is great potential in this state that we can benefit in line with the objective of our President in diversifying the economy of the nation through agriculture and mining.”
Responding, the state Governor, Chief Dave Umahi hailed President Buhari for Presidential Initiative on Development of Salts (PIDS) and revealed that Ebonyi remains a leading state in salt deposit across the federation.
