Ruitai Mining Company, a Chinese mining corporation, has been closed down by the Akwa Ibom government for failing to present an operation permit.
This was said by Chief Uno Etim Eno, the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, during a press conference in Uyo.
He stated that the company was unable to present authorization documentation for titanium ore mining in the state’s Ibeno village.
He said that the business had been discreetly extracting titanium ore in the region before being apprehended and required to present necessary documentation.
During an examination, it was determined that the company was unable to present a mining licence as well as an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report demonstrating the impact of its activities on the host community.
He stated:
“The joint ministerial inspection team included the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Iquo Abia, on arrival at Ibeno community, were conducted round the mining site by the Chairman of Ibeno Local Government Area, High Chief Williams Mkpa.
“The team discovered black clay-like minerals contained in sacks of 50kg, which was identified by the miners as titanium ore.
“On critical examination of the site amidst tight security, the Managing Director and Director of the company, Zeng Zhonghuan and Huang Ying, were not available at the site. The available staff members could not provide any information or documents,” Uno said.
He said the Ministry of Environment discovered that the company was purely an exploration company while the Board of Directors were all Chinese nationals who were not eligible to acquire the small-scale mining licence as claimed.
“Ruitai mining company should terminate its mining operations forthwith, until due clearance legitimising its operation is completed with the state government.”
cc: Daily Post Ng
