The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has promised to create one million jobs for Igbo youths by revamping huge coal deposits in Enugu State for generation of electricity and export.
Buhari said this at the Enugu West APC zonal rally on Saturday, where he was represented by the spokesman of the party in the South-East, Osita Okechukwu.
Speaking through Okechukwu, the presidential candidate explained that the coal industry would be revamped with the objective of generating electricity to serve the entire South-East.
He assured the people that he would award the contract immediately he comes into office to avoid the mistakes made by the Peoples Democratic Party, which he said squandered over N2bn voted for a coal project between 2012 and 2014.
"We are banking on huge coal deposits located at Amasiodo, Inyi and Leje axis of Enugu Coal belt. We are going to award contract for mining and construction of coal-fired power plant, unlike the PDP that since 1999 promised to revamp the coal fields and 16 years after, nothing has been done.
"We believe that coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in Enugu State and Enugu Coal is one of the most qualitative coal brands in the world, which means that while some are used to generate electricity, some will be exported," he said.
The former Head of State said his objective was to create one million jobs directly and indirectly from the coal sector, as ancillary projects would follow.
"My idea is to emulate the Taichung Coal-Fired Power Plant in Taiwan, the largest coal power station in the world.
"Coal supplies 46 per cent electricity in the United States and over 60 per cent electricity in China – it is callous to abandon such a golden treasury.
"For 16 years, every election Igbo voted for the PDP and yet, the coal belt remains untapped; hence there is no commensurate reward.
"In 2014 budget, for instance, over N600bn capital projects were executed in the South-South, while less than N200bn was executed in the South-East. Is that equity or justice?"
Source: Punch
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