Dayo Johnson
16 June 2003
Akure — Barely five months after the flagging off of the exploration and exploitation of Bitumen by President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Bitumen Project Implementation Committee (BPIC) has threatened to withdraw the blocs allocated to two companies if they fail to commence operation next month. President Obasanjo had on February 17 this year performed the ground breaking to flag off the official commencement of the exploration and exploitation of the vast deposit of the mineral resources in the country. But, in an interview over the weekend, the chairman of BPIC Professor Julius Ihonvbere told newsmen in Akure that the committee is disappointed over the slow pace of work by the companies that were allocated the blocs.
Professor Ihonvbere said the companies include BEECON Consortium and NISSAN Limited. The chairman noted that the committee has set up a three man ad-hoc committee which include a renowned Geologist, Professor Idowu Odeyemi and the secretary of BPIC Alhaji Goni Sheiks to look into the earlier agreement reached between the government and the two companies. According to him, the ad-hoc committee is expected to monitor the implementation of the terms of agreement reached with the two companies.
Professor Ihonvbere stated that six-month deadline was given to the companies after the agreement was signed to enable them move to the field so as to commence operations. The allocation of the bloc, located in Ondo State was done before the President performed the ground breaking. According to the chairman, the committee has mandated the ad-hoc committee to demand for an explanation from the two companies a week after the expiration of the six month deadline.
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