Despite its net-zero carbon emissions pledge by 2060, the federal government has signalled the return of coal mining in the country, with the putting up for sale of five coal blocks in Enugu.
In an invitation for expressions of interest for the public bidding of five coal blocks, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) stated that the coal fields were currently being held by the Nigerian Coal Corporation (NCC) on behalf of the federal government.
The BPE, therefore, called for a public bid of the five blocks by prospective investors, listing them as the Amasiodo coal block, Onyeama Coal Block, Okpara Coal Biock, Inyi Coal Block, and the AgwasiAzagba Coal Block.
Almost defunct before now, the NCC was established in 1950 and it is 100 percent owned by the federal government. The headquarters is located in Enugu.
But the new development appears to contradict Nigeria’s pledge for cleaner sources of fuel. In November 2021, at the COP26 Leaders’ Summit, President Muhammadu Buhari in Glasgow, Scotland, pledged that Nigeria would cut its emissions to net zero by 2060. – THISDAY
