The Director-General, National Steel and Raw Materials Exploration Agency, Mr. Alex Ohikere, on Tuesday said only five states in the country had up-to-date data of mineral deposits available in their areas.
Ohikere said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna, that only Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Yobe and Jigawa had proper data on mineral deposits that it could attract investment.
The DG noted that the absence of comprehensive data was slowing down the exploitation of mineral resources in the country.
According to him, it would be difficult to convince investors to set up businesses in the mining sector when the basic facts on available mineral resources in the country are absent.
On the activities of the agency, Ohikere said it was not discharging its responsibilities as it should, due to paucity of funds and obsolete equipment.
“Presently we are underfunded; only 42 per cent of the 2013 appropriation of the agency has been released by the government,” he said.
The DG also said most of the agency’s exploration equipment, bought in the 70s, were obsolete, adding that only two of the equipment, procured in 2010, were operational.
Ohikere disclosed that a recent study had revealed that the nation had an estimated coal reserve of about 2.7 billion tonnes, out of which “less than 650 million tonnes have so far been proven.”
