SOUTHWEST BITUMEN AND ONDO STATE: HOW WE GOT HERE.
TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES.
- February 2017 – Expression of Interest from SWB to work with Ondo State on Bitumen Exploration
- March 23rd 2017 – Presidency engages states and requests to provide focus industries for diversification
- April 2017 – Ondo State writes to FG emphasizing 4 areas; Gas, Bitumen, Agric and FTZ development
- May 2017 – State Government engages Fed Min of Mines and Steel with SWB on pushing the bitumen project development further.
- July 19th 2017 – FG announces it will be issuing Exploration license at Presidential Economic Diversification initiative Conference (PEDI) in Akure.
- Oct 23rd 2017 – Exploration license awarded. This license is different from the ones owned by state owned firm, BEECON.
- Nov 7th 2017 – President Buhari shows full commitment to bitumen exploration project in Budget speech.
- May 18th 2018 – First ever Mining lease granted to mine bitumen in Nigeria granted to SWB.
- Sept 2018 – Southwest Bitumen engages state to facilitate MOU with host community Petu, in Irele.
- Sept 2018 – Southwest Bitumen commences development of Center for Bitumen Research and development at the Federal University of Technology (FUTA) Akure.
- Jan 24th 2019 – State govt facilitates the issuance of C of O to Southwest for designated mining areas.
- June 14th 2019 – Southwest Bitumen presents project update to the governor on activities to date.
- Nov 2019 – SWB begins the preparation of company yard for equipment and production.
- August 2020 – SWB invites state to inspect facility and equipment to commence production.