The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development on
Monday confirmed the discovery of Nickel in
parts of Kaduna State in North-West Nigeria.
Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Abbas, said the
ministry had been following up on the report by
its technical experts since the first discovery was
made several months ago.
“The Ministry is aware of the occurrence of the
mineral in parts of Kaduna State,” the statement
said. “Since the first discovery many months ago,
technical experts from the ministry have been
following up on this development as provided by
law.
The ministry urged Nigerians to allow
government come up with detailed reports on the
new find towards its development.
The statement confirmed a report by PREMIUM
TIMES that a private mining syndicate had
discovered nickel in Nigeria.
The private mining syndicate headed by Hugh
Morgan, a mining industry veteran, described the
discovery as unusual since it was found in small
balls of about three millimeters in diameter and
of a high purity in shallow soils, indicative of the
existence of a larger hard-rock Nickel field in the
area.
The discovery was said to be around Dangoma, a
small farming town about 160 kilometres
northeast of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Abuja. The community also borders Kaduna state
to the west.
Nickel could potentially be a high foreign
exchange earner for Nigeria, particularly at a
time the country’s economy was facing the blight
of declining global crude oil prices.
Nickel is sold primarily for first use as refined
metal in manufacturing of many other alloys,
while about 65 per cent of it is consumed in the
West, used for the production of stainless steel
products.
Nigeria could join some of the world’s largest
producers of Nickel, which include Philippines,
Indonesia, Russia, Canada, and Australia,
according to the US Geological Survey.
At the moment, Nigeria’s current output of Nickel
is below 2.5 metric tons per annum, produced
mainly from scrap irons.
The discovery of the mineral in large volume
could see the country’s production capacity
increased significantly, as government has
already shown commitment to raise its capacity to
meet the country’s annual steel demand of 6.8
metric tons, Mr. Fayemi told Bloomberg recently.
Monday confirmed the discovery of Nickel in
parts of Kaduna State in North-West Nigeria.
Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Abbas, said the
ministry had been following up on the report by
its technical experts since the first discovery was
made several months ago.
“The Ministry is aware of the occurrence of the
mineral in parts of Kaduna State,” the statement
said. “Since the first discovery many months ago,
technical experts from the ministry have been
following up on this development as provided by
law.
The ministry urged Nigerians to allow
government come up with detailed reports on the
new find towards its development.
The statement confirmed a report by PREMIUM
TIMES that a private mining syndicate had
discovered nickel in Nigeria.
The private mining syndicate headed by Hugh
Morgan, a mining industry veteran, described the
discovery as unusual since it was found in small
balls of about three millimeters in diameter and
of a high purity in shallow soils, indicative of the
existence of a larger hard-rock Nickel field in the
area.
The discovery was said to be around Dangoma, a
small farming town about 160 kilometres
northeast of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Abuja. The community also borders Kaduna state
to the west.
Nickel could potentially be a high foreign
exchange earner for Nigeria, particularly at a
time the country’s economy was facing the blight
of declining global crude oil prices.
Nickel is sold primarily for first use as refined
metal in manufacturing of many other alloys,
while about 65 per cent of it is consumed in the
West, used for the production of stainless steel
products.
Nigeria could join some of the world’s largest
producers of Nickel, which include Philippines,
Indonesia, Russia, Canada, and Australia,
according to the US Geological Survey.
At the moment, Nigeria’s current output of Nickel
is below 2.5 metric tons per annum, produced
mainly from scrap irons.
The discovery of the mineral in large volume
could see the country’s production capacity
increased significantly, as government has
already shown commitment to raise its capacity to
meet the country’s annual steel demand of 6.8
metric tons, Mr. Fayemi told Bloomberg recently.
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