Types of Mineral Resources in Nigeria 

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Nigeria has an abundance of mineral resources such as oil and gas, gypsum, talc and bitumen. These mineral resources provide tremendous opportunities for local and foreign investments in the Nigerian economy, however, most of these minerals haven’t been exploited to their full potential. In this article, the types of mineral resources in Nigeria would be discussed. Keep on reading to find out what they are. 

Types of Mineral Resources in Nigeria 

The types of mineral resources in Nigeria would be discussed below: 

  • Aquamarine

Aquamarine is a mineral gemstone that naturally occurs in several parts of the country such as Oyo and Kaduna states, among others.      

  • Amethyst 

Amethyst is a mineral gemstone that can be found in several parts of Nigeria. States with amethyst deposits include Kaduna, Nasarawa, Oyo, Bauchi and Kano. 

  • Barite 

Barite is a non-metallic mineral with deposits in Benue, Cross River, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Ebonyi, and Gombe State. This mineral resource has not been adequately explored and exploited in Nigeria, however, artisanal mining techniques are employed across the country. Barite is mostly utilized in the oil and gas industry as a drilling mud agent during drilling operations. 

  • Bentonite

Bentonite is abundantly available in several states such as Adamawa, Borno, and Plateau. In Nigeria, the bentonite reserve is 700 million tonnes. It is largely utilized in the oil and gas industry for balancing reservoir pressure and preventing blowouts during the drilling of all types of oil wells. 

  • Bitumen 

Bitumen is in abundance in Nigeria with over 42 billion tonnes across the country. Bitumen deposits occur in Edo, Lagos, Ogun, and Ondo State. Though vast deposits of bitumen exist, exploitation remains low, as most of the bitumen used for road construction is sourced from abroad. 

  • Cassiterite 

Cassiterite naturally occurs in Abuja, Bauchi, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Oyo, Plateau, and several other parts of Nigeria. 

  • Clay

Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Lagos, Nasarawa, Edo, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto,   

  • Coal 

There is a vast deposit of coal across Nigeria. The coal in Nigeria is low in sulphur and ash, making it environmentally sustainable over other types. The coal reserves in the country surpass over 3 billion tonnes and can be found in Bauchi, Benue, Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau, and Zamfara states. 

  • Dolomite

Dolomite is known to naturally occur in several parts of the country such as Abuja, Edo, Kogi, and Oyo.

  • Emerald 

Emerald is one of the naturally occurring gemstones in Nigeria. Deposits can be found in Plateau state and other states in the country.  

  • Fluorspar 

Fluorspar is one of the numerous mineral gemstones found in Nigeria. Deposits of this gemstone can be found in Kaduna State.  

  • Glass-sand

Glass-sand is a mineral resource that can be found to naturally occur in Anambra, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers, and other parts of Nigeria. 

  • Gold

Gold deposits are present in Abuja, as well as in Abia, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Edo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Osun, Sokoto, and Zamfara State. The deposits of gold across Nigeria are mainly alluvial.  

  • Gypsum

There are over a billion tonnes of gypsum deposits spread across Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Imo, Ondo, and Sokoto states. Gypsum is utilized in the production of cement, Plaster of Paris (P.O.P), and chalk. 

  • Iron-ore 

In Nigeria, there are over 3 billion metric tonnes of iron ore deposits in states like Enugu, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Kogi and Plateau, as well as Abuja. 

  • Kaolin

Nigeria has large deposits of over three billion tonnes of kaolin across Adamawa, Borno, Delta, Ekiti, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, and Sokoto states. 

  • Lead/Zinc

Nigeria has a vast amount of lead/zinc deposits in the Federal Capital Territory and states such as Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Kano, Niger, Plateau, and Taraba.

  • Lignite

Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Rivers, 

  • Limestone 

Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Sokoto

  • Manganese 

Deposits of manganese have been identified in several parts of Nigeria such as Adamawa, Bayelsa, and Cross River states.  

  • Oil/Gas

Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers states are the parts of Nigeria with large deposits of oil and gas. The oil reserves in Nigeria are over 23 billion barrels while the gas reserves are 160 trillion cubic metres. 

  • Phosphate 

Phosphate is a naturally occurring mineral resource found in Anambra, Edo, Imo, Ogun, Sokoto, and some other parts of Nigeria. 

  • Ruby 

Ruby is a precious gemstone that has been identified in several localities across Nigeria. 

  • Salt 

Salt can be found in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, and Sokoto states. 

  • Sapphire 

Sapphire is a mineral gemstone found in several parts of the country such as the Kaduna and Nasarawa states.  

  • Talc 

Vast deposits of talc can be found in Kogi, Ogun, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun and Oyo states. 

  • Tantalite 

There are deposits of tantalite in Abuja, as well as in Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Osun, and Oyo states. However, the exploitation of this mineral resource has been very low in Nigeria. 

  • Topaz 

Topaz is a precious gemstone with proven deposit reserves in several parts of the country. Kaduna, Bauchi, and Plateau are some of the states where topaz can be locally sourced.  

  • Tourmaline 

Tourmaline is a gemstone that can be found in several parts of Nigeria. Kaduna, Nasarawa and Osun states are some states with natural tourmaline deposits. 

  • Uranium

Uranium deposits have been identified in states such as Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Cross River. Unfortunately, uranium hasn’t been fully exploited to its full potential in Nigeria. 

  • Zircon  

Zircon is a precious gemstone that has been identified to naturally occur in several parts of Nigeria such as Oyo, Plateau and Kaduna states. 

  • Asbestos 

  • Wolfram 

  • Tentalime 

  • Tin

  • Soda Ash 

  • Sihnite

  • Silica Sand 

  • Sillimanite

  • Syenite

  • Bauxite

  • Tatium

  • Potash 

  • Pyrochlore 

  • Quartz 

  • Marcasite 

  • Mica

  • Marble

  • Feldspar 

  • Flakes

  • Laterite

  • Granite 

  • Graphite

  • Hyanite 

  • Hydro-carbon

  • Galena 

  • Copper

  • Cotton

  • Columbite 

  • Bismuth

  • Butyle

  • Diatomite 

  • Dimension Stones