In its bid to boost electricity supply to residents, the Edo State Government has granted a license to Chinese firms to begin exploration with a view to generating electricity from coal deposits in the state.

Edo Commissioner for Mining, Andrew Ijegbai, who disclosed this in an interview, said Governor Okpebholo has given marching orders to the Ministry to explore minerals across the state.

The Chinese firms are also to begin cement production and produce ceramic tiles from clay.

Ijegbai expressed optimism that revenue from the Ministry of Mining in a few years would be enough to run the state.

He said the feasibility study would show how many megawatts of electricity would be generated from coal.

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The Commissioner for Mining, Governor Okpebholo, has curtailed the activities of illegal miners in the state, saying five illegal mining groups have been charged to court.

According to him, “Okpebholo has released a lot of money for us to do lots of exploration to find out various minerals we have. We have two Chinese companies that have signed an MOU to embark on cement production. The Governor just signed that about a month ago. They will start operations very soon.

“We cannot quantify the potential of Edo’s solid minerals. Imagine the contract agreement we signed with the Chinese firms to commence cement production. It will generate a lot of money. They will be involved in quarrying, use our coal to generate electricity, and use our clay to produce tiles. It is kind of a four-in-one project. It is going to generate a lot of income. By the time it kicks off, it will create a lot of jobs.

“Anybody who mines in Edo these days is required to get the necessary documentation. Before now, people just obtained a license from the federal government without the consent of the communities. They go into the bush and start mining, and they will tell you they have a license. But these days, we ensure the miners collect consent of the community who is the property owner.

“We want to start the operation of the Community Development Agreement (CDA). Most of those miners, even the larger ones, engage in divide and rule. They will be mining and, at the same time, causing a crisis. The community will be fighting itself while the mining activities are ongoing. We have gotten series of petitions with regard to miners who refused to honour the CDA. We will stop the miners. We cannot fold our hands and watch our people being short-changed.” (The Nation)

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