Mining and Solid Minerals

This is used as fuel and in industrial production of tar, gas and non-edible oils. The total reserve of coal in Nigeria is estimated to be about Five Hundred Million (500, 000, 000) tons. Large coal reserves are discovered on the banks of the Niger, near Asaba and Onitsha and also to the North of Benin.

Agrochemical raw materials in Nigeria are presented with rock salt and phosphates. Significant deposits of rock phosphate are found near Abeokuta while there are salt springs at Awe (Plateau state), Abakaliki (Ebonyi state) and Uburu (Imo state).

This is mined from placer and ore deposits. It is more suitable to start mining gold from placer deposits. They require lower investment and are less risky for an investor. In the crystalline rocks of Northern Plateau along Niger valleys and some of its tributaries from the Plateau of Yoruba you can find gold. Small gold placer mines (Zamfara, Bishini) are concentrated in Central, West and North West of the country ( Maru, Anka, Malele, Gurmana, Bin Yauri, Okolom –Dogondaji)..

This is used for making steel, transforms and motor cars, ferrous sulphate from waster liqueur of the steel picking process or by the direct reaction, metals for electrical shielding, electro – magnetic devices, electric bells, electric fan cage, equipment rack, instrument body, engineering works, hydrated salt, iron oxide pigments, various salts of iron and ferrites and chemicals. There are many deposits of iron ores in sedimentary rocks. Among the states with iron mining development are Enugu, Nassarawa, Kogi, Abuja, and Zamfara etc.

This is used in production of tin oxide used in paint, paper and ink industries, production of tin oxide resistors, and electric lead wires. Deposits of tin, niobium and tantalum ores are located on the Jos Plateau and to the North on Bauchi Plateau. The highest content of these metals is observed in granites.

Some of the precious stones which were found in Nigeria are sapphires, tourmalines, aquamarines, topaz, emeralds. There are still few enterprises involved in gemstone mining in Nigeria.

Among states with biggest lead ore reserves are Cross River, Ebonyi, Plateau, Zamfara and Federal capital Territory, Abuja.

Large deposits of tantalite are known to occur in Nassarawa, Gombe and Kogi state as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

Nigeria has about Ten Million (10,000,000) tons of copper ore. It plays an important role in the structure of various electrical appliances due to the fact that it is one of the best electricity conductors.

This is an important input for the production of cement. Current cement production is put at Eight Million (8,000,000) tons per annum while the national requirement is 9.6 million tons. About 1 billion tons of gypsum deposits are spread over many states in Nigeria.