The Ondo State Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Professor Bayonle Ademodi, has said the ongoing exploration of the bitumen in the state would provide employment opportunities for youths in the state.

Ademodi stated this in Akure, Ondo state capital, during an interactive session with licensed bitumen companies and members of Bitumen Exploration and Exploitation Company of Nigeria

He noted that apart from creating employment opportunities, it would also place the state on the global map, in terms of industrial and economic development.

He said the current administration in the state had broken the jinx that had bedevilled the development of bitumen resources in the state and assured that by the time the bitumen project got to the level of commercial production; it will generate massive employment in the state.

He said, ” There is going to be very massive employment opportunities but it is going to be a gradual thing. At the pilot stage, we are looking at job opportunities in the 40s and 50s, by the time we get to the semi-commercial stage, we should be talking of 500 to 1,000 and when it gets to the full commercial stage, thousands of people will surely be employed.

” I don’t know of any industry that can employ personnel as much as bitumen project because everything is involved. Bitumen is a big project, what is important is the seriousness of the investors. That is why we conveyed this meeting for the second time in order to be updated and be on the same page as part of the mandate of the ministry which is to monitor the operation of the project.

“The companies are at different stages. Some of them have exploration license while one has mining license. Those that have the license for exploration are pursuing exploration activities and at the required level, they will apply to the federal ministry of solid minerals for a mining license, at that stage they will start mining and producing.

” One of the companies is almost at the stage of production; the company is far ahead of others and working assiduously to meet the target. By the way, production comes in stages, we have the pilot, which is the smaller stage, general stage, which is a bigger one, we are certain that the company is working towards this. We currently have about four companies at different stages.”

Ademodi stated that this is the first government in the state that will create a ministry dedicated to the bitumen project, an indication of the seriousness of the present administration to the production of bitumen in the state.

Ademodi said the ministry was created for specific work plan to fast-track the process of exploration, saying that there would also be an interactive session with the four local government areas which including, Odigbo, Okitipupa, Ese-Odo and Ilaje

He said so many acreages have been allotted to the companies interested in the exploration and exploitation of the bitumen. (Tribune)

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