EXPLORING
NIGERIA’S MINING INDUSTRY
Mining
is simply the extraction of valuable minerals cum other geological materials
from the earth crust, usually from lode, vein, ore-body, seam, reef, or placer,
deposits. These deposits constitute a mineralized package that is of economic
interest to the prospective miner. Ores gotten via mining activity are
gemstones, limestone, coal, oil shale, metals, dimension stone, clay, gravel,
potash, and rock salt, among others.
Mining is required to obtain essential
commodities that cannot be possibly grown via agricultural processes, or
created artificially in a factory or laboratory. Mining of stones and metals has
been a well recognized human occupation since prehistoric era. Modern days
mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analyzing the profit
potential of the proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials, and final
reclamation of the affected land after the mine is closed.
The economic importance of mining cannot
be overemphasized. In Ghana, for instance, the country’s mining sector is a
very vital segment of its economy, and has played a significant role in its
socio-economic development since the colonial period. Historically, the
Ghanaian mining sector’s contribution to the country’s gross foreign exchange –
particularly gold – has only been paralleled by its cocoa sector.
Not only do the products power the
family car as well as heat the family home, the manufacturing sector, high tech
industries, and even the better known resource industries, are all dependent –
in one way or the other – on the mining industry. The mining industry will
continue to be an important support to the economy of any country that embraces
it. Aside boosting Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it encourages high rate of
employment opportunities and equally thrives to ensure that the number of
entrepreneurs in the country is increased tremendously.
In spite of the ongoing boom in the
sector, Nigeria still lags behind. It’s shocking to note that notwithstanding
the unquantifiable solid minerals the country is blessed with, mining accounts
for barely 0.3 per cent of the country’s GDP, due to the influence of its vast
petroleum resources. The country’s domestic mining industry is obviously
underdeveloped, leading to importation of minerals such as, but not limited to,
iron-ore and salt, that could be domestically produced.
Rights to ownership of mineral resources
is held by the Federal Government (FG) who grants titles to interested
organizations to explore, mine, and sell mineral resources, but ab initio, the
business has been relatively unpopular. The Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s
administration began a process of selling off government-owned mining
corporations to private investors in 1999; till date, those firms are lying
moribund. On assumption of duty, the President Mohammadu Buhari-led government
assured Nigerians that the administration would rejuvenate the mining industry;
yet at the moment, no serious impact has been recorded, perhaps owing to lack
of policy direction.
It’s high time Nigeria started mining the
available solid mineral deposits in the country that are abound – to include tale,
gypsum, lead, zinc, bentonite, gold, uranium, bitumen, coal, rock salt,
gemstones, kaolin and barite – all which are highly lucrative. This can only be
actualized by deploring the required techniques tactically, as well as imbibing
viable policies into the system.
Surface mining and sub-surface
(underground) mining are the available two major forms of mining. The targeted
minerals are generally divided into two categories of materials namely, placer
deposits and lode deposits. The former consists valuable minerals contained
within river, gravels, beach sands, and other unconsolidated materials, whilst
the latter are those found in veins, layers, or in mineral grains widely
distributed throughout a mass of actual rock. Both classes of deposits could be
mined by either of the aforesaid mining types. Moreover, in-situ leaching is
another technique mainly used in mining rare earth elements cum soluble
minerals like uranium, potash, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, and sodium
sulfate. Of all, surface mining is currently much more common and viable.
However, it’s pertinent to acknowledge
that mining, likewise petroleum drilling, is associated with various
environmental factors. These include erosion, formation of sinkholes, loss of
biodiversity, coupled with contamination of soil, ground cum surface water by
chemicals from mining processes. In some cases, additional forest logging is
done in the vicinity of mines, to create space for the storage of the created
debris and soil. Basic examples of pollution from mining activities include
coal fires, which can last for years, producing severe amounts of environmental
damage. This can be properly controlled through the effort of the concerned law
enforcement agency by implementing stringent environmental and rehabilitation
Acts.
Now that diversification of the
country’s economy remains the only way to overcome the lingering recessionary
era, the government ought to endeavour to take the bull by the horn towards
ensuring that the mining industry is accorded a well deserved attention. For
this dream to be holistically actualized, hands of fellowship must be duly and
sincerely extended to the cognoscenti who can spur the industry to do more even
when challenges are enormous.
Considering the impact the mining
industry stands to create on the country’s economy at large, it’s needless to
state that exploring the sector is long overdue, thus feasible action is
seriously needed. Think about it!
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