Mining industry of Nigeria

The mining of minerals in Nigeria accounts for only 0.3% of its gross domestic product, due to the influence of its vast oil resources.

Organized mining began in 1903, when the Mineral Survey of the Northern Protectorates was created by the British colonial government.

The Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s led many expatriate mining experts to leave the country.

The Obasanjo administration began a process of selling off government-owned corporations to private investors in 1999.

Coal geology is a mixture of sedimentary rock and ancient vegetation that has been changed by heat and microbial activity over a considerable period of time.

Attempts to mechanize the industry in the 1970s and 1980s were ultimately unsuccessful, and actually hindered production due to problems with implementation and maintenance.

[3][4] In April 2008, Minister of Mines and Steel Sarafa Tunji Ishola announced that Nigeria was considering coal as an alternative power source as it attempted to reform its power sector, and encouraged Chinese investors to invest in the coal industry.

Gold deposits are found in Northern Nigeria, most prominently near Maru, Anka, Malele, Tsohon Birnin Gwari-Kwaga, Gurmana, Bin Yauri, Okolom-Dogondaji, and Iperindo in Osun state.

In recent times, there has been some development in gold exploration in Osun State in South Western Nigeria.

In Nigeria, pegmatite deposits of coltan are frequently also the source of several precious and semi-precious stones such as beryl, aquamarine, and tourmaline.

In 1989, Total pulled out of the partnership, and in 1993 the government reassigned NUMCO's responsibilities to the Nigerian Geological Survey.

The mechanization of the coal corporation was not successful, this was because the military Government officials did not employ people with the right technical skill set.

[13] Gemstones mining has occurred in various parts of Plateau, Kaduna and Bauchi states, including for sapphire, ruby, aquamarine, emerald, tourmaline, topaz, garnet, amethyst, zircon, and fluorspar.

Ten or more unskilled workers use crude tools and methods to extract tiny gold deposits with poor production levels.

[14] ASGM help artisans and investors make a living executing high-volume trades of commodities such as diamond, gold, and agricultural products, ensuring constant working and steady transactions ASGM is also defined as small-scale mining activities that collect and refine metals and minerals from secondary and primary ores using primitive or crude techniques.