By Fred Doc Nwaozor
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 with ease. It’s a shame that the only material
that’s overtime mined across the country is sand.
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 ostensibly lying moribund.
On
assumption of duty, perhaps piqued by the ongoing devastating physiognomy of
the Nigeria’s mining sector, the President Mohammadu Buhari-led government strongly
assured the teeming Nigerians that the administration would rejuvenate the
industry.
Little wonder the government recently
approved a sum of N12.7 billion solid minerals exploration contract. Yet at the
moment, pathetically no serious and practical impact has been recorded,
probably owing to lack of policy direction.
It’s therefore high time Nigeria started
mining the available solid mineral deposits abound in the country – to include
tale, gypsum, lead, zinc, bentonite, gold, uranium, bitumen, coal, rock salt,
gemstones, kaolin and barite – all which are highly lucrative and of economic
value. 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 comprises 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, and 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 and functional policies.
Now that diversification is apparently the
only way to revive the Nigeria’s troubled economy, the government ought to
endeavour to take the bull by the horn towards ensuring that the mining
industry is accorded a well deserved attention.
It’s more interesting to note that exploring
the industry apparently remains one of the prime agenda of the present
administration. But for such an agendum to be holistically actualized, hands of
fellowship must be duly and sincerely extended to the cognoscenti who can spur
the sector to do more even when challenges are enormous.
Considering
the impact the said sector stands to create on the country’s economy at large,
it’s needless to state that its exploration is long overdue, thus feasible action
is seriously needed. Think about it!
Comrade Nwaozor, a tech expert, could be
reached via frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
