Natural Resources in Nigeria are plentiful and bountiful. In fact, Nigeria is one of the few countries in Africa with so many Natural Resources.
Nigeria possesses a huge variety of natural resources from Gypsum to Clay, Gas to Marble, Lead to Kaolin in commercial quantity. The unfortunate fact is that most of these natural resources in Nigeria are yet to be exploited.
Natural resources are nature’s gift to man. It is an endowment by nature for the benefit of the wellbeing or welfare of the people of the geographical region where the resource is located. In this article, we will glance at the List of Natural Resources in Nigeria.
What are Natural Resources?
An important thing to note about natural resources is that they occurred without the action of man. It is why they are accorded the term “natural.” They are freely given by nature, and they are exploited by man for commercial benefit. They could exist on land, sea, and air.
Full list of Natural Resources
According to Nigeria’s official website, each state has the following natural resources.
S/№ | STATE | NATURAL RESOURCES |
| 1 | Abia | Gold, Lead/Zinc, Limestone, Oil/Gas & Salt |
| 2 | Abuja | Cassiterite, Clay, Dolomite, Gold, Lead/Zinc, Marble & Tantalite |
| 3 | Adamawa | Bentonite, Gypsum, Kaolin & Magnesite |
| 4 | Akwa Ibom | Clay, Lead/Zinc, Lignite, Limestone, Oil/Gas, Salt & Uranium |
| 5 | Anambra | Clay, Glass-Sand, Gypsum, Iron-ore, Lead/Zinc, Lignite, Limestone, Phosphate & Salt |
| 6 | Bauchi | Gold, Cassiterite (tine ore), Columbite, Gypsum, Wolfram, Coal, Limestone, Lignite, Iron-ore & Clay |
| 7 | Bayelsa | Glay, Gypsum, Lead/Zinc, Lignite, Limestone, Maganese, Oil/Gas & Uranium |
| 8 | Benue | Barite, Clay, Coal, Gemstone, Gypsum, Iron-Ore, Lead/Zinc, Limestone, Marble & Salt |
| 9 | Borno | Bentonite, Clay, Diatomite, Gypsum, Hydro-carbon, Kaolin & Limestone |
| 10 | Cross River | Barite, Lead/Zinc, Lignite, Limestone, Manganese, Oil/Gas, Salt & Uranium |
| 11 | Delta | Clay, Glass-sand, Gypsum, Iron-ore, Kaolin, Lignite, Marble & Oil/Gas |
| 12 | Ebonyi | Gold, Lead/Zinc & Salt |
| 13 | Edo | Bitumen, Clay Dolomite, Phosphate, Glass-sand, Gold, Gypsum, Iron-ore, Lignite, Limestone, Marble & Oil/Gas |
| 14 | Ekiti | Feldspar, Granite, Kaolin, Syenite & Titanium |
| 15 | Enugu | Coal, Lead/Zinc & Limestone |
| 16 | Gombe | Gemstone & Gypsum |
| 17 | Imo | Gypsum, Lead/Zinc, Lignite, Limestone, Marcasite, Oil/Gas, Phosphate & Salt |
| 18 | Jigawa | Kaolin, Tourmaline, Amethyst, Silica & Iron ore |
| 19 | Kaduna | Amethyst, Aqua Marine, Asbestos, Clay, Flosper, Gemstone, Gold, Graphite, Kaolin, Kyanite, Mica, Rock Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Sihnite, Superntinite, Tentalime, Topaz & Tourmaline |
| 20 | Kano | Cassiterite, Copper, Gemstone, Glass-sand, Lead/Zinc, Pyrochinre & Tantalite |
| 21 | Katsina | Kaolin, Marble & Salt |
| 22 | Kebbi | Gold |
| 23 | Kogi | Cole, Dolomite, Feldspar, Gypsum, Iron-ore, Kaolin, Marble, Talc & Tantalite |
| 24 | Kwara | Cassiterite, Columbite, Feldspar, Gold, Iron-ore, Marble, Mica & Tantalite |
| 25 | Lagos | Bitumen, Clay & Glass-sand |
| 26 | Nasarawa | Amethyst (Topaz Garnet), Barytex, Barite, Cassirite, Chalcopyrite, Clay, Columbite, Coking Coal, Dolomite/Marble, Feldspar, Galena, Iron-ore, Limestone, Mica, Salt, Sapphire, Talc, Tantalite, Tourmaline Quartz & Zircon |
| 27 | Niger | Gold, Lead/Zinc & Talc |
| 28 | Ogun | Bitumen, Clay, Feldspar, Gemstone, Kaolin, Limestone & Phosphate |
| 29 | Ondo | Bitumen, Clay, Coal, Dimension Stones, Feldspar, Gemstone, Glass-Sand, Granite, Gypsum, Kaolin, Limestone & Oil/Gas |
| 30 | Osun | Columbite, Gold, Granite, Talc, Tantalite & Tourmaline |
| 31 | Oyo | Aqua Marine, Cassiterite, Clay, Dolomite, Gemstone, Gold, Kaolin, Marble, Silimonite, Talc & Tantalite |
| 32 | Plateau | Barite, Bauxite, Betonite, Bismuth, Cassiterite, Clay, Coal, Emeral, Fluoride, Gemstone, Granite, Iron-ore, Kaolin, Lead/Zinc, Marble, Molybdenite, Phrochlore, Salt, Tantalite/Columbite, Tin & Wolfram |
| 33 | Rivers | Clay, Glass-Sand, Lignite, Marble & Oil/Gas |
| 34 | Sokoto | Clay, Flakes, Gold, Granite, Gypsum, Kaolin, Laterite, Limestone, Phosphate, Potash, Silica Sand & Salt |
| 35 | Taraba | Lead/Zinc |
| 36 | Yobe | Soda Ash & Tintomite |
| 37 | Zamfara | Coal, Cotton & Gold |
Profile of Natural Resources
- Oil and gas reserves in Nigeria have been estimated to reach about 27 billion barrels, while gas reserves are more than a hundred of trillion cubic meters.
- Gypsum is a very important component of cement production. It is also a major ingredient in chalk making process. Nigeria has a deposit of more than one billion tonnes of gypsum.
- Iron ore deposits in Nigeria have been known to reach more than two billion tonnes.
- Lead and Zinc deposits are up to ten million tonnes and they are found in the South-Eastern part of the country.
- Gold is found majorly in the South Western part of the country.
- Nigeria has about the most environment-friendly coal in the world, because of the low bituminous content. Coal is estimated to have about 3 billion tonnes deposited in many states of the federation.
Uses of Natural resources in Nigeria
Here’s what Nigeria can gain by harnessing natural resources:
Improved fiscal revenue, income, and significant poverty reduction
Wealthy nations are known for properly harnessing their natural resources. Today, natural resources are regarded as key to economic development.
A lot of countries in the world have tied their wealth and revenue to the rise in the prices or valuation of these natural resources.
Natural resources such as petroleum and gas still play an important role in Nigeria’s economy. Since Nigeria is richly blessed with natural resources of all kinds, the government could seriously utilize these natural resources and commodities to reduce poverty in the land.
Job creation and increased employment
The government could design policies that will improve the management of natural resources, especially when job creation is the aim.
Sound policies and strong institutions could establish to cater to the rural economy, especially if the natural resources are sourced from villages and idyllic towns.
Natural resources can be used to sustain the livelihood of the poorest in society.
There is a trend of increased employment in the renewable resource sector, which the Nigerian government could key into green energy and renewable energy growth and development.
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