GRANITE MINERAL EXPLOITATION IN SELECTED HOST COMMUNITIES OF EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA, 1996 – 2017

Abstract

Ezza, Ikwo, and Izzi communities of Ebonyi State are richly endowed with granite mineral deposits. This resource has been exploited by both indigenous and expatriate mining companies for decades. Having hosted both indigenous and expatriate mining companies for decades, one will have thought that the resources and the operations of these companies ought to have contributed to the socio-economic development of these communities. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. The paper, therefore, examines the role the granite deposit and mining have played in the socio-economic development of these communities between 1996 and 2017. The study utilizes both primary and secondary sources while content analysis and historical analytical research approaches were employed in the analysis of data. The paper submits that granite mineral exploitation in Ezza, Ikwo, and Izzi has adversely affected the socio-economic development of the host communities. We, therefore, recommend that favourable terms and conditions of agreement as well as adequate government regulation of the mining companies be implemented to make for the socio-economic development of the host communities.