Chevron donates $1.3m barite equipment to AMAPOB

The Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), yesterday, donated barite equipment worth $1.284m to the members of the Association of Miners and Producers of Barite (AMAPOB) in Gboko, Benue State.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, the General Manager, Nigerian Content Development of CNL, Mr Olusoga Oduselu, said that the donation was in line with the company’s effort to increase in-country capability and provide strategic framework for increasing the Nigerian content component of goods and services.

“As part of our commitment to Capacity Development Initiative (CDI) obligation on the production of local barite production and patronage of the local industry, CNL purchased local barite directly from AMAPOB members,” he said.

Purchase orders totalling 700MT were awarded to Qualchem Nigeria Limited, a member of the association, in 2015.

Responding, the first Vice President of the AMAPOB, Chief Mike Mku, thanked the Chevron for pioneering the initiative, out of the oil major companies in the country, pledging his association’s support to barite supply to the oil industry.

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, who commissioned the equipment through his commissioner for works, Engr. Emmanuel Manger, harped on the need for private investors to key into the federal government’s initiative of developing the mining sector to create employment.