Ogun Emerges Mining Capital of Nigeria

Data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that Ogun state has recorded the highest amount of mining activity in the country in the last three years.

 The data which was released over the weekend shows the dis-aggregated mining and quarrying activity volumes of Nigeria’s 36 states for the period 2010-2015.

In 2015 Ogun state alone was responsible for processing 15 billion metric of mining activity (other than metal ore and coal). Also, in the 2014 financial year, the state came top accounting for 14 billion metric tones of mining activity.

As far back as 2014, the Ogun state government had expressed readiness to provide the much needed political will in developing the solid mineral sector of the state for socioeconomic development, especially in the face of the dwindling revenue from oil.

The data which captures the activities of legally registered miners is an indication that the effort of the government is paying off.

The data also shows that Gombe is at the forefront of coal mining in Nigeria, while Ebonyi is at the forefront of Iron ore mining in the country.

Other states which have equally performed well in terms of the volume of material processed in their localities include, Koji and Cross Rivers State.