- Mining in Nigeria
The mining of minerals in Nigeria accounts for only 0.3% of its
GDP , due to the influence of its vastoil resources. The domestic mining industry is underdeveloped, leading to Nigeria having to import minerals that it could produce domestically, such assalt oriron ore . Rights to ownership of mineral resources is held by the Nigerian government, which grants titles to organizations to explore, mine, and sell mineral resources.Organized mining began in 1903 when the Mineral Survey of the Northern Protectorates was created by the British colonial government. A year later, the Mineral Survey of the Southern Protectorates was founded. By the 1940s, Nigeria was a major producer of
tin ,columbite , andcoal . The discovery of oil in 1956 hurt the mineral extraction industries, as government and industry both began to focus on this new resource. TheNigerian Civil War in the late 1960s led manyexpatriate mining experts to leave the country cite web|url= http://www.msmd.gov.ng/Downloads/Investment%20and%20mining%20opportunities.pdf
title=Investment and Mining Opportunities |publisher=Ministry of Solid Minerals Development |accessdate=2008-04-12] .Mining regulation is handled by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, which oversees the management of all mineral resources. Mining
law is codified in the Federal Minerals and Mining Act of 1999. Historically, Nigeria's mining industry was monopolized by state-owned public corporations. This led to a decline in productivity in almost all mineral industries. The Obasanjo administration began a process of selling off government-owned corporations to private investors in 1999null] .Coal, Lignite and Coke
The
Nigerian Coal Corporation (NCC) is aparastatal corporation that was formed in 1950 and held a monopoly on the mining, processing, and sales of coal, lignite, and coke products until 1999 [ cite web|url=http://129.3.20.41/eps/io/papers/0501/0501002.pdf |title=The Nigerian Coal Corporation: An Evaluation of Production Performance (1960-1987) |author= Godwin Chukwudum Nwaobi |publisher=Quantitative Economic Research Bureau |accessdate=2008-04-12] .Coal was first discovered inEnugu State in 1909, and the Ogbete Mine had opened and begun regularly extracting coal by 1916. By 1920, coal production had reached convert|180122|long ton|short ton|lk=on. Nigeria's peak coal production was in the late 1950s, and by 1960 production was at convert|565681|long ton|short ton|. TheNigerian Civil War caused many mines to be abandoned. After the war ended in the early 1970s, coal production was never able to recover. Attempts to mechanize the industry in the 1970s and 1980s were ultimately unsuccessful, and actually hindered production due to problems with implementation and maintenance [ cite web|url=http://129.3.20.41/eps/io/papers/0501/0501002.pdf |title=The Nigerian Coal Corporation: An Evaluation of Production Performance (1960-1987) |author= Godwin Chukwudum Nwaobi |publisher=Quantitative Economic Research Bureau |accessdate=2008-04-12] .The Nigerian government is currently trying to privatize the Nigerian Coal Corporation and sell off its assets. While the domestic market for coal has been negatively affected by the move to
diesel andgas -powered engines by organizations that were previously major coal consumers, the low-sulfur coal mined in Nigeria is desirable by international customers inItaly and theUnited Kingdom , who have imported Nigerian coal. Recent financial problems have caused a near shutdown of the NCC's coal mining operations, and the corporation has responded by attempting to sell off some of its assets while it waits for the government to complete privatization activities [ cite web|url=http://bpe.dev.bsh-bg.com/NR/rdonlyres/A97C2DA1-524F-4103-B8EB-61FD0FD04A76/0/NigerianCoalCorporation.pdf |title=Scope and Status of Privatisation Activities in the Solid Mineral Sector of the Nigerian Economy |Publisher=Nigerian Bureau of Public Enterprises |date 2007-01-12 |accessdate=2008-04-12] [ cite web|url= http://news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/2004/mar/11/0079.html|title=Nigerian Coal Corporation Broke, Sells Assets |Publisher=Vanguard Newspaper |accessdate=2008-04-12] .In April 2008, Minister of Mines and Steel Sarafa Tunji Ishola announced that Nigeria was considering coal as an alternative power source as it attempts to reform its power sector, and encouraged Chinese investors to invest in the coal industry [ cite web|url= http://allafrica.com/stories/200804250523.html|title=Electricity - Country to Try Coal |Publisher=Daily Trust |accessdate=2008-05-02] .
Gold
Gold deposits are found in western Nigeria, most prominently nearMaru ,Anka ,Malele ,Tsohon Birnin Gwari-Kwaga ,Gurmana ,Bin Yauri ,Okolom-Dogondaji , andIperindo inKwara State null] .Gold production began in 1913 and peaked in the 1930s. During the
Second World War , production declined. Mines were abandoned by colonial companies, and production never recoverednull] .The
Nigerian Mining Corporation (NMC) was formed in the early 1980s to explore for gold. Lack of funds, and the lure of easier profits from oil production led to its failure. There is no large scale gold mining operation in Nigeria today, though there is small-scale mining carried out by artistsnull] .Columbite and Tantalite
Columbite andTantalite are ores used to produce the elementsniobium andtantalum . Columbite and tantalite are collectively known ascoltan in Africa. Tantalum is a valuable rare element used in electronics manufacturing. In Nigeria,pegmatite deposits of coltan are frequently also the source of several precious and semi-precious stones such asberyl ,aquamarine , andtourmaline . These pegmatites are found inNassarawa State near theJos Plateau , as well as in several areas in southeast Nigeria. There is small-scale mining of these mineralsnull] .Bitumen
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