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Ogun leads Kogi, others in 43.5m tonnes solid minerals produced in Nigeria

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Ogun leads Kogi, others in 43.5m tonnes solid minerals produced in Nigeria

Nigeria produced about 43.5 million tonnes of solid minerals in 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its report on the performance of the sector released on Wednesday.

The NBS’ data identifies Ogun State as having produced the highest volumes of the solid minerals among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FTC).

Solid Minerals are precious metals, various stones and industrial minerals such as salt, gold, diamond, coal, limestone, granite, barytes, gypsum, kaolin, marble and a host of others.

Ogun State, the report says, produced about 16.4 million tonnes of minerals representing 37.65 per cent of the total quantity produced in 2016.

Following Ogun are, Kogi and Cross River States, with about 12.74 and two million tonnes (about 29.29 per cent and 6.89 per cent) respectively.

Other states, included Borno and Yobe states, both from the North Eastern Zone, which produced the least volumes with 1,250 and 883.08 tonnes respectively in the same period.

“Limestone is the most produced solid minerals in 2016 with 28.21 million tonnes produced representing about 64.84% of the total tonnes of minerals produced.

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“Granite and laterite followed closely with 5,846,368.08 and 2,160,737.61 tonnes produced representing 13.44 per cent and 4.97 per cent of the total tonnes of minerals produced in 2016. However, Aquamarine and Beryl Ore are the least produced solid minerals in 2016, ” NBA stated.

Other mineral resources cited in Abia State and yet be explored include: glass sand, limestone, salt, shale, ball clay, galena, granite, marble, laterite, bentonite, phosphate, kaolin, pyrite, feldspar, petroleum, lignite, gypsum, sphalerite, clay.

The report disclosed that Adamawa State produced a total of 61,055 tonnes of solid minerals in 2016, and identified the potential solid minerals in the State to include granite, clay, gypsum, limestone, uranium, kaolin, coal, trona, barite, salt, marble, magnesite, laterite.

It said that Bauch has the potential for Kaolin, trona, gypsum, cassiterite, mica, clay, tantalite, galena, iron ore, gemstone, sphalerites, silica sand, barite, columbite, zinc, lead, muscovite, quartz, tin, glass sand, salt, monazite, feldspar, graphite, wolfram, coal, agate, tantalum, rutile, tungsten, copper, talc, ilmenite, zircon.

The data office concluded that Nigeria could also benefit from other minerals like bentonite, crude salt, petroleum, limestone, glass sand,Gemstone, barites, feldspar, marble, mica, silica sand, quartz, galena, lead, zinc ore, silica sand, clay, coal, gypsum, kaolin, anhydrite, calcium, sulphate, and brick clay.

Others are crushed and dimension stone, fluorspar, wolframite, bauxite, shale, magnetite, ilmenite and brenite, all of which are available in Benue State.

The Solid Minerals Minister, Fayemi Kayode, said there are plans to see the sector compete favourably with oil and gas, going by the policy direction of government.

“With Nigeria’s vast mineral deposits, experts said there are suitable alternative to oil and gas, with the capacity to earn huge revenues much more than petroleum if well harnessed’, the statistics office added.

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