Fayemi, who spoke when the Executive Director of a Non-Governmental Organization, CSR-in-Action, Bekeme Masade, led a team of civil society organisations on a visit to him, said the Ministry of Power, Woks and Housing, has set itself the policy on energy needs and it has proposed that coal will contribute 30 per cent into the energy needs.
“We have dedicated that coal licenses will only be awarded to those who want to generate electricity and we are collaborating with the FMPWH on this,” the Minister said.
“There are certain processes you need to fulfil. You need to have a licence for power generation before you acquire a licence for mining. Since the inception of this administration, no licence for coal has been awarded which is not for the purposes of power generation.”
“So if you acquire a licence for mining coal, you have to also have that for power. Once the application is filed and it is not encumbered by any legal, or existing holder of a licence, the licence is awarded, but it must be for power generation only. Quite a number of companies have applied directly either to us or to the FMPWH,” he stated.
On Ajaokuta, Fayemi said the Federal Government has not conceded control of Ajaokuta Steel Company to either Chinese or Indian firms, saying there is no official engagement with anybody on ASC. He described as misleading, reports in some quarters to the effect that the steel company has been handed over to a Chinese firm.
Fayemi, who was represented by his Technical Adviser, Egghead Odewale, said the original concession agreement that was signed between Nigeria, Global Steel Holding Limited and Global Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, “has been re-modified.
