Mining and Mineral Extraction (Non-Oil)

There are tremendous opportunities in this sector also, and government has invested heavily in the generation of vital information on minerals? Outstanding among these are coal, gypsum, barytes, kaolin and talc. Nigeria has one of the best quality coal deposits in the world with the lowest sulphur content. The names, location, quantity and possible industrial exploitation of some solid minerals are as follows:-

(i) Barytes : 41,000 and 70,000 tonnes of which are found in Benue and Plateau State respectively, are used as inert volume and weight filler in drilling mud, rubber, glass, paper, etc. or as extender in the plant industry, and as chemicals in the manufacture of glass, heavy printing paper and plastics;

(ii) Coal : 82.2 million tonnes, 189 million tonnes and 32 million tonnes of which are found in Enugu, Benue and Plateau States, respectively. It is used as fuel and in industrial production of tar, gas and non edible oils;

(iii) Diatomite: 200,000 tonnes of which are found in Borno State; is used in making insect control powder, bond for furnace brick walls and mineral fillers and filters;

(iv) Lignite: 71million tonnes of which are found in Delta State; is used in industrial production of tar, gas, oils and (nitrate) fertilizer;

(v) Columbite: 14,223 tonnes of which are found in Plateau State; is used in forming alloys that are useful in nuclear, aerospace and gas turbine engineering;

(vi) Iron Ore: 30.48 million tonnes, 182.5 million tonnes and 45.72 million tonnes of which are found in Agbaja in Plateau State, Okene in Kogi State and Enugu State, respectively, is used for making steel, transformer 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;

(vii) Tin: 10,546 tonnes of which are found in Plateau State; is employed in plating, production of tin oxide used in paint, paper and ink industries, production of tin oxide resistors, electric lead wires.

Export Manufacture

In recent studies by the Federal Ministry of Industry, activities identified in respect of export market potential include:

(a) Agricultural produce processing, food and beverages;

(b) Textiles: yarn /textiles, apparel, leather and products of leather (including footwear of rubber and plastics);

(c) Wood: furniture;

(d) Paper, paper products;

(e) Iron and steel, non-ferrous metals;

(f) Fabricated metal products, and

(g) Consumer durables.

It is recommended that industries in Nigeria should specialize in these sectors in which it is found that Nigeria has comparative advantage relative to the operation of such industries in other countries.