Chairman/ceo Of Eta-zuma Group Receives Hon. Minister Of Mines & Steal Development

Nigerian's leading mining and steel Company, Eta-Zuma Group, yesterday hosted the Honourable Minister of Mines & Steel Development at their Corporate Headquarters in Abuja. Below is a welcome address by the Executive Chairman of the Company, Dr. Innocent Ezuma at the occasion.

"The Hon. Minister, Architect Mohammed Musa Sada, the DG Mining Cadastre, Alhaji Amate,

Directing staff of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Management and staff of Eta

Zuma Group, Members of Press, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honour to welcome Hon.

Minister and his entourage to our Group Head Office. Hon. Minister, I am humbled and

appreciative of the fact that despite your heavy schedule and engagements, you found time to

make this visit.
Hon. Minister, looking back at the almost five years you have been at the helm of offices of the

Ministry and managing the demands of the mining and steel sectors of the economy; which are

the two key sectors in any economy; looking at the transformation that have taken place in

these sectors, I want to say categorically that you have been a true apostle of President

Jonathan's Transformation Agenda. You have given it meaning in the mining and metals sector.

Your score card has been robust and I do not intend to cover it all but a few ones. You put in

place a lucid and actionable mining regulation that has brought credit, dignity, investors'

confidence which attracted investors like us into the sectors. You have set in motion a

metallurgical industry regulatory bill to facilitate the regulation of the metals industry. You have

reviewed the explosive Act of 1964 and brought to today's reality. Hon. Minister, though and

Architect, when you talk and act, you show unusual mastery of the mining and metals industry.

This is a tribute to your intellectualism.
Hon. Minister, the Eta Zuma Group West Africa Ltd is a conglomerate of a number of other

companies with specific business interests. Incidentally, most of them are in your purview;

Energy and Metals Industries Ltd (exploration) Zuma 828 Coal (coal mining), Zuma Energy Ltd–

power generation mainly with coal – a solid mineral. IMEX Briquettes Production from coal. You

can see that our progress is closely intertwined with your operations and success. We can say

without equivocation that you have been a pillar of support and you have brought regulatory confidence to the Group in all aspects. You have been an inspiration. We as a Group are committed to walking and working with you. Permit me here to flag some of our corporate commitments and objectives which we will show in more details in separate presentations.

It is our strategic objective to do the following;
 Raise solid minerals exploration to greater heights as we believe that without sustainable and qualitative data, the mining sector cannot thrive.

 Provide the domestic coal needs of the country so that no offtaker needs to import coal anymore, thereby saving foreign exchange and creating jobs.

 To help bridge the huge energy gap and support the effort to achieve sustainable energy mix by producing electricity from coal substantially at our Itobe Power Plants.

 To add more value to coal and other solid minerals at the local level. This is why we are producing briquettes as an added fuel source for the masses and a way to curb deforestation.

 To produce more steel to support the country's industrial revolution from our Zuma Steel Jos.

 In doing these, we are committed to conforming to the regulations set down.

 We want to add value to the lives of the communities where we operate and to respect our environment.

To achieve all these, Hon. Minister, we need your continued support which may come in various forms, but we know you are committed and up to it. As the slang goes “No shaking”.

Finally, we want to reaffirm support to His Excellency Mr. President Jonathan for his dedication to the transformation of the economic and other sectors and for his foresight and insight in bringing to the mining and metals sector a person of your caliber. Continuity, they say, enhances transformation. We thank you, Sir, very much for coming to our Group Head Office and wish you and your entourage a safe return to your Ministry and God's guidance in all your endeavours".