FG set to develop salt deposits in Ebonyi

The Federal Government on Friday said it would develop salt deposits located in some parts of Ebonyi State and by so doing generate thousands of jobs for the people, especially youths.

Read Also: How superstition holds back Ebonyi huge salt industry

Uchechukwu Ogah, minister of state, Mines and Steel Development, who said this during a courtesy call on Governor David Umahi, explained that by the development, salts would be produced in commercial quantities to boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Ebonyi State has large deposits of salt in Ikwo, Uburu and Okposi in Ohauzara and Abakaliki area. As one of the states with solid minerals, Ebonyi is one of the states that the Federal Government would benefit from to diversify the nation’s economy, Ogah said.

According to him, the Federal Government had started a project called Presidential Initiative on Development of Salts, and that consultants had been brought into Ebonyi State to look at how salts could be developed. He described the Presidential Initiative on Development of Salts as the first in the history of the country driven by Governor Umahi which, according to him, confirms President Muhammadu Buhari’s love for the South East.

“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,” Ogah said.

With Ebonyi as one of the forerunners in terms of solid mineral, Ogah said there are great potentials in the state that fit into the President’s objective of diversifying the Nigerian economy through agriculture and mining to raise the country’ GDP and create jobs.

“There is a federal government project which is called Presidential Initiative on Development of Salts in Ebonyi state which we have brought consultants to look at how they can develop the salt project which is the first in the history of this country coming to South East and being driven by the Ebonyi State Governor. This shows that Mr President loves the South East and the project is to ensure that Nigeria is producing salt in large quantity.  So, we want to turn salt into a commercial quantity for the interest of Nigeria.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has gladly granted opportunity for this project to be established. Number two reasons of my visit to the state is to discuss with the governor on how to enhance the revenue from the mining sector for the minerals that are being mined in the state,” he said.

He said his team had been able to share ideas on the way to increase and enhance revenue in the state for the mining sector which will help to drive the GDP of the nation at large. “We have seen the composition of the salts in the state; we have seen the lakes and we believe,” the minister added.

In a remark, Umahi commended the Federal Government for the Salt Development Project, noting that Ebonyi is a state with great solid mineral potentials.