Otti Vows to End Illegal Kaolin Excavation in Abia, Sets up Ceramics Industry

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, Mr. Alex Otti, has promised to put an end to the illegal excavation of kaolin and other solid minerals in the state.

He made the promise at Umuopara community in Umuahia South Local Government Area on the second day of his campaign tour of the 17 councils of the state, saying he would put the plunderers of state natural resources out of businesses if elected governor.

Kaolin is found in commercial quatities in Ohiya and other communities in Umuahia South but the mineral has over the years been largely exploited by individuals for their private financial gains.

But Otti assured the people that the exploitation of the mineral resource would be taken from the hands of illegal excavators and legally extracted by government for public good if he gets the mandate to become the state governor in 2023.

He said his administration would set up ceramics industry at Ohiya, which would use the kaolin deposits in the area to produce tiles for local consumption and exports.

Otti said: “There is no reason for us to be importing floor tiles and other kinds of ceramic products from China when we have the raw material here to produce the same and create jobs and businesses for our people.

“The present situation now is that this natural resource is mined illegally by some individuals, some of who are not even Abia people, and shipped abroad.

“They are processed and imported back into Nigeria by some of our people, making us lose the much needed jobs for our people, and of course revenue to develop our state.”

The LP governorship hopeful disclosed that he had already asked the traditional rulers to activate the process or making land available for the siting of the ceramics industry.

Otti, who is a renowned economist and former bank executive, is campaigning

with a message of wealth creation and poverty eradication, saying joblessness was driving youths into criminal activities.