In its efforts to ensure value creation and sustainable economic growth in the country, Chevron Nigeria Limited has donated Barite equipment worth about N500million to Miners and Producers of Barite in Nigeria.
Speaking at the occasion held in Gboko area of Benue State, General Manager, Nigerian Content Development NCD, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr Olusoga Odudelu, said the donation was to increase Nigerian content component of goods and services.
According to him, “the donation of Barite equipment was in line with strategic framework for increasing the Nigerian content component of goods and services that are needed to support our operations and capital projects in Nigeria.
“The efforts are to ensure value creation and sustainable economic growth that align with the federal government’s aspirations in Nigerian Content Development.”
Barite equipment donated include; one pay loader, one Komatsu Dozer, one Excavator, two dump trucks one compressor, one low bed truck, Toyota Hillux and A Toyota Corolla.
The Vice President, Association of Miners and Producers of Barite (AMAPOB), Chief Mike Mku, who said that with the emphasis on diversification of economy from oil and gas to mining by federal government, “the initiative is a model of economic diversification.”
Mku, however, called on the Federal Government to ban the importation of Barite into the country, stressing that the resource is more than available with high quality in Benue and other parts of the country.
Representative of Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, the state commissioner for works, Mr Emmanuel Manger, described the donation as a needed impetus to boost mining activities in the country.
He added that mining was another area of creating job opportunities for teeming youths roaming streets in the country and appreciated Chevron for the donation of the equipment.
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