Bitumen: Promise made ; Promise kept

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.