One may not be mistaken to say that as complex and interwoven as the Nigerian state is, so are the problems facing her multifaceted; talk about the varying degree of mismanagement, over dependence on crude oil, political haggling, insecurity issues and so on. Nonetheless, the one I am more concerned about right now is how Nigeria is so blessed but yet poor- let’s leave the economic analysis for now; record has it that about 67% of Nigeria’s populace currently live below the poverty line.

But amidst this stark reality [of our poverty level] is an ample of resources that are either wasting away or being underutilized. So much attention has been given to crude oil that one sometimes wonders whether the government has got any cognizance of the other mineral resources. Nigeria is blessed with over forty (40) solid mineral resources; though not all these resources are available in commercial quantities but we are yet to fully take advantage of the ones that are in abundant supply. And like most of the industries in Nigeria, the mining industry has been functioning at a suboptimal level for years now. A report from the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) shows that the mining industry less than 0.5% to Nigeria’s GDP.

The problem has always been the presence and/or exploration of crude oil- but why should a blessing be made to appear as a ‘curse’? - as our leaders continually seek the easy and the ‘most profitable’ way out. Whereas, it is apparent that our over-dependence is not good for the sustainability of our economy; as we have been observing over the years, a little (unfavorable) twitch in the price of oil is capable of dealing us a big blow since the economy is tip-toeing on a slippery ground soaked with ‘black gold’.
It is quite ironic [and rather appalling] that we even depend on external sources for some of the mineral resources we can produce here had we have a functional and well-oiled mining industry. I cannot help but wonder why these minerals are left buried in the ground while Nigeria keeps plunging into the murky waters of financial debts. I am not an economist and I do not intend to sound as one but I believe we need much more than crude oil to break free from debts and poverty, and eventually build a sustainable and/or thriving economy.

These minerals are scattered across different states of the Federation, and God who has blessed us with them will definitely not descend from heaven to harness them for us. So, those in the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development [certainly with the assured backing of the government] must move quickly and proactively to map out strategies that will make mineral exploration more profitable for the nation.

Below, is a list of solid mineral resources and the respective states they can be found:
Abia: Copper, Iron Ore, Gold, Limestone, Laterite, Crude Oil, Phosphate, Kaolin, Feldspar, Oil Shale, Tar Sand and Gravel.
Adamawa: Iron Ore, Magnesium, Coal, Bentonite, Gypsum, Kaolin, Lignite and Uranium.
Anambra: Lead, Limestone, Crude oil, Zinc, Coal, Clay, Salt, Phosphate and Gypsum.
Akwa-Ibom: Lead, Limestone, Crude Oil, Clay, Salt, Lignite and Uranium.
Bauchi: Copper, Iron Ore, Gold, Limestone, Coal, Wolframite, Tungsten, Clay, Gypsum, Uranium, Tin Ore, Columbite and Manganese.
Bayelsa: Crude Oil, Gypsum, Lead, Limestone, Lignite and Uranium.
Benue: Iron Ore, Lead, Limestone, Coal, Clay, Salt, Marble, Gypsum, Manganese, Barite and Gemstones.
Borno: Limestone, Clay, Bentonite, Gypsum and Kaolin.
Cross-River: Gold, Lead, Crude Oil, Zinc, Mica, Tantalite, Granite, Salt, Lignite, Uranium, Manganese and Barite.
Delta: Crude Oil, Coal, Clay, Silica, Gypsum, Kaolin and Lignite.
Ebonyi: Lead, Limestone, Zinc, Salt and Chalcopyrite.
Edo: Limestone, Dolomite, coal, Clay, Bentonite, Phosphate, Gypsum, Lignite, Bitumen and Tar Sand.
Ekiti: Galena, Talc, Mica, Tantalite, Granite, Quartzite, Kaolin, Titanium and Syenite.
Enugu: Lead, Zinc and Coal.
FTC, Abuja: Gold, Lead, Dolomite, Zinc, Clay, Granite, Marble and Tin Ore.
Gombe: Copper and Gypsum.
Imo: Lead, Limestone, Crude Oil, Zinc, Coal, Salt, Phosphate, Gypsum, Lignite and Oil Shale.
Jigawa: Silica.
Kaduna: Gold, Wolframite, Tungsten, Kyanite, Talc, Tourmaline, Kaolin, Columbite, Manganese and Gemstones.
Kano: Copper, Zinc, Wolframite, Tungsten, Silver, Silica, Uranium, Columbite and Gemstones.
Katsina: Salt, Marble, Kaolin and Manganese.
Kebbi: Gold, Magnesium, Magnesite and Manganese.
Kogi: Gold, Dolomite, Galena, Coal, Talc, Mica, Tantalite, Bentonite, Quartzite, Marble, Gypsum, Kaolin, Feldspar and Columbite.
Kwara: Iron Ore, Dolomite, Galena, Coal, Mica, Tantalite, Quartzite and Marble.
Lagos: Clay, Silica and Bitumen.
Nasarawa: Copper, Iron Ore, Dolomite, Galena, Clay, Talc, Mica, Tantalite, Lithium, Tourmaline, Columbite, Manganese and Gemstones.
Niger: Gold, Lead, Zinc, Wolframite, Tungsten, Kyanite, Talc and Gravel.
Ogun: Limestone, Galena, Clay, Bentonite, Phosphate, Kaolin, Gemstones, Feldspar and Bitumen.
Ondo: Limestone, Crude Oil, Coal, Clay, Silica, Bentonite, Gypsum, Kaolin, Gemstones, Feldspar, Bitumen and Tar Sand.
Osun: Gold, Talc, Tantalite and Tourmaline.
Oyo: Dolomite, Clay, Talc, Mica, Quartzite, Marble, Kaolin, Gemstones and Laterite.
Plateau: Copper, Iron Ore, Gold, Zinc, Lead, Coal, Wolframite, Tungsten, Molybdenite, Bentonite, Marble, Kaolin, Uranium, Tin Ore, Columbite, Manganese, Barite, Gemstones and Gravel.
Rivers: Crude Oil and Marble.
Sokoto: Gold, Limestone, Clay, Salt, Phosphate and Gypsum.
Taraba: Lead, Zinc, Galena, Silver, Fluorite, Quartzite and Uranium.
Yobe: Dolomite and Talc.
Zamfara: Copper, Gold, Lead and Zinc.