The Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, NGSA, is to partner the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, to create more laboratories for scientific researches.
Director General of NGSA, Dr. AbdulRazaq Garba stated this when he visited the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Dr. Bashir Gwandu in Abuja.
Dr. Garba who said NGSA was first established in 1919, stressed the need for Nigerian Agencies to work together in ensuring that the raw materials scattered all over the country are harmonized and their processing domesticated as it will not only add value to the nation’s economy but create jobs and wealth as well.
“Am excited that NASENI established an Institute in Nasarawa state for solid materials research, promising that he would work with NASENI on the creation of more laboratories for scientific researches” Dr Garba stated.
“there is need for Nigerian Agencies to work together in ensuring that the raw materials scattered all over the country are harmonized and their processing domesticated as it will not only add value to the nation’s economy but create jobs and wealth as well”.
“If we can have a synergy, we can take things beyond this level and we can begin to domesticate the processing of the raw materials” he stressed.
“We have the composition and details of the location of so many of them. What we need is to work together to domesticate the processing and manufacturing of industrial minerals. So, we are here to seek collaboration on technological development and domestication of the processing of our industrial minerals”, he added.
On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Dr. Bashir Gwandu said he has called for a national policy that will stop the export of Nigerian solid minerals overseas, thereby pursuing the domestication of processing of both raw materials and local manufacturing of the end-products from such minerals and raw materials.
He emphasized that Nigeria has so many raw materials and must focus on the domestication of her solid minerals through a policy that could stop the exportation of raw materials and encourage investors, especially by requesting that those foreign companies should establish their factories in Nigeria and also to produce locally.
Citing examples of Lithium which is in large quantities across the country, Dr. Gwandu said illegal miners are exporting thousands of tons of Lithium weekly without knowing the value of the mineral.
He explained that since electric car batteries could be made from it, he has invited some foreign companies including Chinese investors to discuss ways of ensuring that Lithium batteries are manufactured locally in Nigeria.
“We have a lot of graphite in Nigeria and lithium graphite is cheaper. Battery production has seven stages. We have invited some Chinese companies. We want to start from the assembling plant while we are waiting for the actual production of raw materials for the production of lithium batteries. We can develop capacities even before we can have the factory”, he stated.
According to him, “Nigeria has the raw materials in abundance and we are going to produce something that would have a direct impact on our economy. We cannot continue to export raw materials and import finished goods.
“We can use our resources in areas of technology. It will be good if we put a policy that will limit the export of raw materials so that those foreign companies will come and partner with us and produce locally.”
The two agencies agreed to seek areas of possible collaboration on how to domesticate processing or value addition to abundant mineral resources in the country.
They also agreed to convert them into products that will create jobs, add value to the economy and thereby end capital flight through the encouragement of potential investors to set up manufacturing plants in Nigeria for local production.
The two agencies, however, agreed to take the issue of national policy to ban the exportation of minerals in the country to the highest level of government.
The high point of the event was the formal handing over to NASENI, by the Director General of NGSA, the country’s Geological map, showing numerous minerals deposits, rocks, and various raw materials in Nigeria.
Georgina Humphrey, Edited By Grace Namiji
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