Stories by Ayoni M. Agbabiaka
The Minister of Mines and Steel, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has noted the alarming rate of importation of steel into the country which cost the nation a total of $3.3 billion annually despite the robust iron ore reserves the country has.
The minister said this at the opening ceremony of the 46th Annual Conference/AGM of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE) in Abuja at the weekend.
The minister emphasized that the amount of foreign exchange Nigeria spends on importation of the minerals should be judiciously redirected.
On his part, Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who was represented by the Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Dan-Azumi Ibrahim, also lamented that ninety percent of the technology powering Nigeria’s economy is imported.
He therefore called for a change of approach. “We should reduce the level of foreign technology consumption and develop our local raw materials,” he said.
The President of Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE), Prof Emenike N. Wami, in his address stated that there are forty four solid minerals spread across Nigeria which if harnessed can yield revenues for the country.
“There are currently 44 solid minerals buried and spread in various quantities across the FCT and the 36 states of the federation waiting to be exploited. The recent is nickel found in Kaduna state,” he said.
He added that coal is available in thirteen states with appreciable reserves of three billion 600 million tons respectively while iron ore is available in five states with an estimated reserve of three billion tons just to mention a few.
The vice president of the society, Prof. Sunday Adefila, said Nigeria has more than fifty million tons of salt which was discovered in 1911 and that Dangote has just began to develop it.