Ohanaeze Ndigbo has expressed disappointment in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government’s inability to revive coal production in Enugu.

Buhari while campaigning as an aspirant in 2015 promised to revamp the moribund coal industry, which had been abandoned for many years.

The president assured the people of abundant coal deposits in Enugu, to harness the growth of the country’s economy, as well as generating employment for youths in South-East and other parts of the country.

But, three years after Buhari won the election and became president, the Enugu coal mines is yet to be revamped into the promised employment generating avenue.

Deputy national publicity secretary of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chuks Ibegbu, said the Federal Government’s failure to revive coal production in Enugu was disappointing.

The Ohanaeze spokesman said coal deposits in Enugu could transform Nigeria’s economy if the Federal Government decided to develop the sector.

“We are very much disappointed that the Buhari-led Federal Government has not been able to fulfil the promise to revive the coal industry in Enugu,” Igbebu said.

“It is very unfortunate that the coal mines seem to have been forgotten.

“But we will continue to remind the Federal Government of the urgent need to revamp the coal industry in Enugu, and in so doing, also revive the Oji River Power Station,”

He noted that the revival of the coal industry would be to the benefit of the entire country, and not only the South-East geopolitical zone.

“We all know that coal was driving the Nigerian economy before the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta region,” Ibegbu said.

•Sourced from a Guardian report

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