BENUE PUSH FOR INVESTMENTS INTO BARITES

HON. UNENGE LEADS INVESTORS TO BARITE MINING SITE.
----Promises Government Partnership with them.
By Jacob Shom and Henry Ibya

As part of the Benue State government effort to industrialize the State and make it investors heaven, the Commissioner for land, Survey and Solid Mineral, Hon. Bernard Unenge has led a crack team of investors to a barite mining site to explore more opportunities. The barite mining which is already on going, is located at Torkula village in Guma local Governments area of the state.
The visit to the site by the investors was necessitated to explore further development of the mineral deposit in the area and to establish robust partnership with the investors.
According to the Commissioner, Barite is an important Mineral element which is use as a lubricant in the drilling of crude oil. It can also be use for other purposes such as weighted filler for paper, cloth and rubber, amongst others,He added.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the visit to the site by Chevron, Association of barite miners and the private company mining at the site, Polyguard investment Nigeria Limited, Honourable Bernard Unenge enumerated the benefits the state would derive from the exercise.
He noted that through the investment in barite and other Solid Minerals, the internally generated revenue of the government would be enhanced.
He added that more infrastructural development would be attracted to the host community especially basic amenities such as pipe borne water, electricity, good road among others.
Hon. Unenge pledged Government readiness to partner with the investors to achieve government sets goals of industralizing the State.
Earlier, the leader of the team and Chevron representative, Mr Ken Henshaw expressed satisfaction with the ongoing mining exercise and promised thier resolved to channel their arsenal to the development of barite in the State.
On his part, the Secretary General of the association of barite miners and processors called on Government and other Stakeholders to collaborate with them to be able to achieve the desired goals, saying with the large deposit of barite in the State, the Government and the people would have a lot to benefit if properly utilised.
In an interface between the team of investors and the Government after the site tour at Benue Hotels in Makurdi, the Chief of staff,Honorable Terwase Orbunde who led the government delegation disclosed that,the present administration of Governor Samuel Ortom is comitted to the development of solid minerals in the State and assured the investors of the government sustained cooperation in the mining of barite and other Minerals in the State as this will take Benue to another level.
"Let me assure you that we are interested in Partnering with you in this execise. Ortom stands since electioneering campaign was to make Benue investment destination and is committed to that philosophy.
"When good planning meet opportunity, the result will be awesome. The government of the day is ready to work with you and we shall go back and work out a template to ensure a hitch-free activities" Orbunde maintained.
Honourable Orbunde thanked the investors for finding Benue worthy of their investment.