The Akwa Ibom State Government has undertaken the closure of Ruitai Mining Company, a Chinese mining establishment, due to its failure to present a valid operational license.
The Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Chief Uno Etim Eno, made this announcement during a press briefing held in Uyo.
According to Eno, the mining firm, situated in the Ibeno community of the state, was unable to furnish the required authorization documents for its titanium ore mining activities.
The company had been clandestinely conducting titanium ore extraction in the area until its operations were intercepted and it was directed to provide the pertinent documents.
Upon inspection, it was revealed that the company lacked a valid mining license and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, which would have indicated the potential impacts of its activities on the host community.
A collaborative team from various ministries, which included the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Iquo Abia, conducted a thorough assessment of the mining site in Ibeno community. Guided by High Chief Williams Mkpa, Chairman of the Ibeno Local Government Area, the team identified the presence of black clay-like minerals contained in 50kg sacks, confirmed as titanium ore by the miners.
However, the Managing Director and Director of the company, Zeng Zhonghuan and Huang Ying, were conspicuously absent from the site during the inspection. The available staff members lacked the ability to provide any relevant information or documentation.
Investigations by the Ministry of Environment disclosed that Ruitai Mining Company was essentially an exploration venture. Furthermore, the company’s Board of Directors comprised exclusively of Chinese nationals, rendering them ineligible to obtain the claimed small-scale mining license.
As a result, the state government has issued a directive for Ruitai Mining Company to cease all mining activities with immediate effect. The company has been instructed to await official clearance from the state government, legitimizing its operations, before resuming any mining activities.
“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.
Uno said that 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,” he said.
