Posted by By GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka on
The move by the Federal Government to privatize Enugu Coal Corporation has been vehemently rejected by senators from the South East geo political zone.
The move by the Federal Government to privatize Enugu Coal Corporation has been vehemently rejected by senators from the South East geo political zone.
The senators, according to Chief Annie Okonkwo, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District at the Senate, view privatization of the now moribund coal corporation as counter productive to the economic sustainability of the South east zone and that of their brothers in the South South zone.
Senator Okonkwo, who spoke to newsmen at his Ojoto country home lamented the poor state of basic infrastructure in the zone, wondering why the Federal Government, which had not thought it wise, to seriously show presence in the zone, would want to give away the only thing that should be given life in the area.
He said: 'That is why we demanded for an attention when they talked about concession for Enugu Coal Corporation, we kicked against it. Because this is a very big infrastructure that we have there and we believe that it is not being utilized. We are saying that this is the time for us to make use of it and not to allow it to waste.
'All the South-East senators are currently against the privatization of that Enugu Coal Corporation. It is a very key national asset that should not be allowed to go that way. As soon as the government looks at it and inject funds into it, it would become not only productive but viable for the zone and the country at large."
The vice chairman, Senator Committee on Ecology therefore called on the Federal Government to jettison the idea of privatizing the corporation but rather put in motion plans to revive it for the benefit of all.
Enugu Coal Corporation was one of the energy sources for the zone and its neighbours before and after independence until the civil war when it was abandoned.
Its full resuscitation and that of the Oji River Power State have been reoccurring issues in the communiqués of both the Ohaneze Ndigbo and the South East Governors Forum respectively, which see their abandonment as politically-motivated.
Ohaneze in particular has said recently that it was abandoned to further frustrate the economic growth of the South East geo-political zone.