Nigeria’s Buried Treasure: Mineral Deposits in Nigeria and their Locations.

For decades, the story of Nigeria’s natural wealth has been dominated by a single narrative: crude oil. The riches flowing from the Niger Delta have powered the nation’s economy, but they have also overshadowed a far older and more diverse geological inheritance. Beneath the soil of Africa’s most populous nation lies a veritable treasure trove of solid minerals, a potential foundation for industrialisation and economic diversification that spans every corner of the country.

While the oil and gas sector remains central, a growing focus on economic resilience is turning attention to this untapped potential. From the gold fields of the north to the bitumen belts of the southwest and the rare earth elements scattered across the central region, Nigeria’s subsurface holds the keys to building a more balanced and robust economy.

READ: Nigeria Set to Roll Out Free Financial Literacy Training for Over 100,000 Youths

Mineral Deposits in Nigeria and their Locations

A Foundation of Industrial Minerals

The building blocks of any major economy are often the most fundamental minerals. Nigeria is well-endowed in this regard, with extensive deposits of resources essential for construction and manufacturing.

Limestone, a critical component for cement production, is abundantly available. States like Sokoto, Benue, Cross River, and Ebonyi host major quarries that feed a growing domestic cement industry, reducing reliance on imports and creating local jobs. Similarly, coal, once the backbone of Nigeria’s railway system and energy sector, is found in large quantities in Enugu, Kogi, and Benue. Though its use for power has declined, it remains a valuable resource for certain industries.

The quest for precious metals also finds promise here. Gold deposits are not confined to a single area but are spread across states like Zamfara, Kebbi, Osun, and Niger. Artisanal mining in areas such as Maru in Zamfara and Iperindo in Osun points to significant, though not yet fully industrialised, reserves. For heavy industry, the iron ore deposit in Itakpe, Kogi State, is of national importance, designed to serve the steel industry and reduce the need for imported raw materials.

READ: Nigeria’s Non-Oil Revenues Power Strongest Fiscal Performance In Recent History

The Technological and Energy Minerals

Moving beyond traditional resources, Nigeria possesses minerals that are crucial for modern technology and energy applications.

The Jos Plateau in Plateau State is historically famous for tin and columbite mining. These minerals, essential for electronics and alloys, put Nigeria on the global mining map in the mid-20th century. Today, there is renewed interest in these areas, alongside tantalite, for their role in high-tech manufacturing.

In the southwest, a different kind of resource awaits large-scale exploitation: bitumen. Often referred to as oil sands or tar sands, Nigeria’s bitumen deposits in Ondo, Ogun, and Edo states are among the largest in the world, trailing only Canada’s. Its development could revolutionise the local construction industry, particularly in road paving, and create a new export commodity.

Furthermore, minerals like baryte (used in oil drilling mud, found in Benue and Cross River), kaolin (for ceramics and pharmaceuticals, found in Katsina and Plateau), and gypsum (for cement and plaster, found in Sokoto and Ondo) support a wide range of secondary industries, creating economic linkages far beyond the mine site.

The New Frontier: Rare Earth Elements

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Nigeria’s mineral wealth lies in its potential as a source of Rare Earth Elements (REEs). These are not necessarily “rare” in a geological sense, but are vital for modern technology and are often difficult to mine economically. They are the invisible engines behind smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, and advanced defence systems.

Recent geological surveys have identified promising concentrations of these strategic minerals. Nasarawa State has emerged as a hotspot, with significant potential for minerals like cerium and lanthanum, used in catalytic converters and hybrid car batteries. Kogi State is another area of interest, with deposits of monazite, a mineral rich in various REEs.

READ: Moghalu Slams Government: Demanding More Tax Amid Waste and Corruption is “Unjust”

The importance of these resources cannot be overstated. Elements like neodymium and praseodymium, found in Kaduna and Plateau states, are critical for manufacturing the powerful permanent magnets used in EV motors and precision-guided weapons. Dysprosium, also located in parts of Kaduna and Bauchi, helps these magnets withstand high temperatures. The presence of thorium in Plateau and Adamawa presents a long-term potential for alternative nuclear energy.

Developing these REE deposits could position Nigeria as a key player in the global clean energy and technology supply chains, a move that would be economically transformative.

The Established Backbone: Crude Oil

While the focus is on diversification, the existing crude oil industry remains a central fact of Nigeria’s economy. The major producing states—Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom—form the core of the Niger Delta production basin. These areas host massive oil fields, pipelines, and export terminals, and have been the primary source of government revenue for generations.

Other states like Edo, Imo, Abia, and Ondo also contribute significantly to national output. Interestingly, exploration is pushing the boundaries of the known oil-rich regions. The discovery of the Kolmani River field in Bauchi and Gombe states proves that hydrocarbon resources extend into the inland basins. Similarly, exploration efforts are ongoing in Kogi State, suggesting that Nigeria’s oil story may still have new chapters to be written.

Conclusion: From Potential to Prosperity

The map of Nigeria’s mineral resources is as diverse as the country itself. The challenge, however, has never been a lack of resources, but rather the ability to harness them responsibly and effectively. Issues of illegal mining, inadequate infrastructure, and policy uncertainty have historically hampered the sector’s growth.

Realising the full potential of this buried treasure will require a concerted effort involving transparent governance, significant investment in geoscience data, and the development of value-added industries that process the minerals within Nigeria. If these hurdles can be overcome, the solid minerals sector holds the promise not just of export earnings, but of building a truly industrialised economy, creating millions of jobs, and writing a new, more sustainable story of Nigerian wealth for the 21st century.

Nigeria’s Buried Treasure: Mineral Deposits in Nigeria and their Locations.