Umahi Warns Chinese Expatriates Against Open Mining In Ebonyi

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Monday, August 23rd, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State has warned Chinese expatriates operating in the state against further open mining.

He insisted that Chinese doing mining businesses in the state must adopt modern method of exploring the mineral resource to save the people from hazards associated with open mining.

Speaking at the weekend during the funeral service/internment of Late Ogochukwu Elem the State All Progressives Congress(APC) Youth Leader in Ikwo Council Area of the state, the government viewed to take decisive action against the foreigners should they fail to obey his order.

African Examiner recalls that the late Ogochukwu and his two police escorts died inside one of the mining pits in the state when the vehicle they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a deep mining pit by the road side.

The unfortunate incident occurred along Enyigba/FUNAI road in the state.

Umahi who was visibly angry over the activities of Chinese in the state, who have continued to use open mining, warned that such was no longer acceptable.

He said: “I continue to insist that we should use modern method of mining. These Chinese that are doing these things, if you go to their place, they don’t do open mining. Why is that everything is just possible in Nigeria? It is not acceptable”.

“And when you are pursuing these people, our people collect peanuts and aid them and all these mining these things, the government benefit nothing.

“We collect little bribe and allow them in the night

Today, lead and zinc has filled our homes without knowing the implication to our livers, it is very dangerous and that is why we say if we get any house or ware- house that stores lead and zinc, we will seal the house and revoke the right of occupancy of that house.

“Lead is very dangerous, it doesn’t digest in the liver and it is because of this we are having a lot of liver failures, kidney failures.

“It is not known to our people” the governor stated.

He however, directed the State Commissioner for Solid Mineral to insist on strict compliance to modern method of mining.

According to the governor, “this is what is done even in Ghana here.