Nigeria is potential nation for exporting mineral deposit related products and she is expected to receive a dramatic boost following the offshore oil in mid-2009 as stated by offshore magazine. But will it bring any notable benefits for this nation when there are numerous impediments engulfing the country’s path towards developing solid mineral industry? Nonetheless, solid mineral industry has been identified as a priority sector by the previous and present government. Well, the write-up has ventured to discuss the salient issues of establishing solid mineral industry.

Estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown.3/ In addition to the commodities listed, amethyst, aquamarine, bitumen, diamond, emerald, garnet, granite, lead, phosphate rock, ruby, sapphire, soda ash, talc, tourmaline, tungsten, zinc, and zircon are mined, and a variety of crude construction materials (stone, sand and gravel) are produced, but information is inadequate to estimate output. Considerably more barite is produced but is considered to be commercially unusable. Mineral exploration is booming. High prices and the nation's potential for mineral development are the two main reasons. Our nation also has a strong track record of producing world-class mining deposits .Mining is extremely important to our economy, and last year paid royalties of more than $100 million to the Nigerian government. The mining industry employs more than 3,000, people with at least as many indirect jobs. Mining makes up almost six per cent of the nation's gross domestic product. Mineral deposits must be developed in the areas they are found. Recent exploration activities have landowners in those areas concerned. Mining is a strong contributor to our economy, using millions of dollars in local goods and services, providing thousands of high-paying jobs to our skilled workforce, and paying hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties and taxes that support our health-care and education systems. Mining continues to be a strong contributor to Nigeria’s economy as we move forward toward self-sufficiency.

  Nigeria ranked 11th in the production of crude petroleum and condensate by volume. Nigeria, which was a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, remained Africa’s largest oil producer in 2001 with about 3% of world production compared with Libya (2%), Algeria (1.8%), and Egypt (0.9%) and was the5th leading source of U.S. crude oil imports following Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Canada, and Venezuela. With more than 126 million people, Nigeria was the most populous African nation. The International Monetary Fund estimated that the nation’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) was $41.9 billion2. The oil sector, which was the cornerstone of the Nigerian economy, provided most Government revenues and accounted for most of the country’s export earnings. Government Policies and Programs the Department of Petroleum Resources concerns itself with the oil and natural gas segment of the mineral industry. The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development is involved in the promotion, exploration, and development of Nigeria’s nonfuel minerals and coal. The Ministry of Power and Steel administers the iron and steel sector. The Mining and Minerals Decree No. 34, which was enacted in 1999, reaffirms that all mineral rights are held by the Federal Government. Controversy surrounded the requests by individual producing States and local governments that the Federal Government reallocate total control of mineral resources to them. The contention of the coastal States those offshore oil resources (and revenues) should be attributed to them instead of the Federal Government made its way to the Nigerian Supreme Court. The issue remained unresolved at year end. In September, the Government announced that dormant mining licenses would be revoked and that new mining licenses would be restricted to companies and individuals with the” necessary experience and means.” More than 1,000 licenses were considered to be dormant commodity.   

   Nigeria has in the past largely focused on the development of its oil industry while neglecting the solid mineral sector. However geological reports show that the country has a strong mining potential.  In total, Nigeria has some 34 known major mineral deposits distributed in locations across the country and offers considerable attraction for investors. Currently, the solid mineral sector accounts for between 0.05 and one percent of Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) despite the country having significant coal and iron ore reserves as well as several known gold, uranium, tin and tantalum deposits. And the government is determined to turn the corner and look at this solid mineral sector as its economic bedrock.  Nigeria, with the help of South Africa has been developing a geochemical database of the country that is intended to facilitate exploration efforts. In addition, the government in partnership with the World Bank pooled US$120 million two years ago to fund the solid minerals sector through the establishment of a project for sustainable management of mineral resources in an attempt to address issues of artisan and small-scale mining as a poverty reduction strategy. The BPE Act empowers BPE to privatize the Nigeria Mining Corporation (NMC) and its subsidiaries as listed hereunder: Nigerian Kaolin Processing co. Ltd, Kuba B/Ladi LG Plateau State ,Nigerian Barytes Mining and Processing Co. Ltd; Azara, Awe LG Nasarawa State, Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Ltd; Gurum, Plateau State, Nimco Gold Mining Company Ltd; Ilesa, Osun State, Nimco Terrazzo Company Ltd; Gurum, Plateau State, Nimco Quarry Products Ltd with sites in six location namely: Kujama, Kaduna, Kuru, Plateau,Gano, Kano, Gubi, Bauchi, Suleja, Niger, Abakaliki, Ebonyi. Nimco Brick and Clay Products Ltd; with sites in seven locations namely: Ikorodu, Ibadan, Jos, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano and Maiduguri including consolidated Tins Mines Ltd; Jos.  NMC shares in all its Associated Companies across the country.

The first step would be to examine what other solid mineral -exporting nations are doing right now. What Nigeria can learn from them and what to do to catch up with them? A strong regional co-operation will indeed help Nigeria to obtain technical know-how and expertise from interested countries. Moreover, Porter’s diamond model shows that four conditions are important for competitive superiority: firm strategy, structure, and rivalry, demand conditions, factor conditions, related and supporting industries. All four conditions need to be favourable for an industry within a country to attain global supremacy. For instance, firm strategy, structure, and rivalry will intensify competition among local companies to obtain market share. Fair competition from local market will help software firms to gather experience and knowledge to enter international market. Besides, SWOT analysis of solid mineral industry will speak out its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within a twinkle of an eye. Nigeria's solid mineral industry should aim to exploit its opportunities and strengths while neutralize its threats and avoid its weaknesses to build up industry’s global competitiveness. Benchmarking is the most cost-effective way of introducing best practices to a country and it will help a nation to stay competitive in global software market. Hence, it would be prudent to outline wise policies and beef up a real strength in this sector. Therein lies the importance of collective and cohesive efforts. Moreover, human capital is another important issue that must be taken into account.
 
   Dates for reopening the 193,000-metric-ton-per-year (t/yr)-capacity smelter of Aluminum Smelter Co. of Nigeria Ltd. (ALSCON) at Ikot Abasi were frequently announced during 2001; the facility, which had suspended operations in 1999, remained closed at yearend. Negotiations for a new natural gas fuel contract for the smelter, which had been underway since 2000, were completed in July 2001 when the Nigerian Gas Co. agreed to supply 2.9 million cubic meters per day of natural gas for 3 years at about $0.018 per cubic meter of gas ($0.50 per thousand standard cubic feet). At the beginning of 2001, Ferrostaal AG of Germany, which held 30%equity interest in ALSCON compared with the Government’s 70%, was slated to manage the smelter when operations restarted. At midyear, however, the Government began a search for a new technical partner to operate the ALSCON plant and reportedly was considering the construction of a second aluminum smelter .Steel.—Most of the production facilities of the primarily Government-owned steel sector were idle in 2001. The Government awarded Vsesojuznoje Importno-Exportnoje Objedieneije Tyazhpromexport of Russia a $500 million contract to complete the Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd. plant by 2003.The Government proposed to add a new $100 million 100,000-metric-ton-per-year (t/yr)-capacity steel rail facility at the Ajaokuta complex .The restoration of mill facilities of the Delta Steel Co.Ltd. Plant at Aladja was under contract to Voest-Alpine Industrien lagenbau GmbH & Co. Renovation of Delta’s meltshop was scheduled to be completed in 2002 Of the three state-owned steel rolling mills, Katsina Steel Rolling Co. Ltd. restarted operations in April; and Oshogbo Steel Co. Ltd. resumed production in June. In the Calabar Free Trade Zone, Bao-Yao Iron & Steel Ltd. of China reportedly was building an 180,000- to 200,000-t/yr steel plant. In joint venture with Futurex Nigeria Ltd., Bao-Yao also had a 22,000-t/yr-capacity concrete reinforcing bar plant under construction near Abuja (Metal Bulletin, 2001f; Essien, 2002;This Day, 2000§).Industrial MineralsA number of industrial mineral projects were proposed or under construction in 2001. Cross Rivers State Business Council proposed the establishment of a barite processing plant. Gemstone-cutting plants were proposed for Adamawa and Nasarawa States. The Ondo State Government rehabilitated the Oluwa Glass Factory. The Edo State Government proposed the development of a granite quarry and a marble polishing factory. The Federal Government’s Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) proposed the establishment of a kaolin processing plant at Gwarzo in joint1References that include a section twist (§) are found in the Internet References Cited section.2Where necessary, values for 2001 have been converted from Nigerian naira(NN) to U.S. dollars (US$) at the average rate of NN117=US$1.00.

 Human capital is the most important ingredient for successful solid mineral industry. Due to shortage of human capital, this nation is struggling to set up solid mineral industry. The phenomenal success of Polish solid mineral industry can be largely attributed to human capital. Human capital, power and land reform are the three pillars of mining technology. In spite of substandard government policy and land infrastructure, Poland reigns supreme in global solid mineral industry, next to US, by dint of human capital. Hence, aspiring nation should benchmark human capital model of Poland to have right human resources for its solid mineral industry. In addition, a skilled, English speaking workforce and their ability to adapt and learn the emerging technologies is crucial for solid mineral industry. Therefore, Nigeria needs to improve the ability of the common people so that the over population turns into human capital. In this regard, it is imperative to devise a progressive education system by emphasizing on modern business topics and technology. Likewise, management skills are undoubtedly essential for developing our mineral deposit as well as the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers play vital role in utilizing Solid mineral for business needs. Change management is another crucial aspect that has massive impact on Mines implementation. Furthermore, Business process re-engineering (BPR) is believed to be the main topic that should be in the center of attention. While, it is admitted that Nigeria has dearth of expertise in the field of BPR, change management, business strategy, business analysis, and Information system strategy. In addition, lack of holistic view among concerned people is another serious impediment to solid mineral development in Nigeria. Accordingly, the nation needs to adopt the Korean style in getting back the drained brains by offering international remuneration package. Hence, the nation will have to do a lot over there. Moreover, culture of the country should be observed carefully. 

   Favourable culture is a pre-condition for successful software industry. Apparently, the social and cultural attitude of Nigeria is not conducive to solid mineral development. Nigeria has just started convincing people of the importance and potential of information technology. Besides, colonial mindset – “born to serve not to lead” attitude is hindering software business ventures. Entrepreneurship is not encouraged in Nigeria, no matter what qualification and potential one has for enterprise, a job is the prime desired result of academic achievement. Co-operation is needed in small scale business entrepreneur and related businesses, but it is hardly seen among people in Nigeria. Moreover, self-interest, jealousy and lack of patriotism are prevailing every where. Hence, these are the issues to be fought and won. Apart from that, government’s role must be examined sincerely. 
  
   Though nation has heard lots of double tongue speech from government authorities, there are no conceivable attempts in sight to nurture solid mineral industry in spite of its immense importance. Therefore, a concrete vision and strategic planning should be drawn up immediately in order to develop solid mineral industry. Apart from a business advisory body, government should hire consultants to help local manufacturers to set up their business. Additionally, “one stop exploring centre” is of the essence for solid mineral entrepreneurs. What is more, good governance can play a pivotal role in attracting more foreign investments and technical expertise in this regard. At the same time, bureaucratic tangle has created a situation where the solid mineral industry feels stifled. Furthermore, hazardous environment in our country always deters local and foreign investments alarmingly. On top of that, political stability must be achieved as soon as possible to facilitate solid mineral industry’s growth. Besides, government should take necessary steps to build up country’s image abroad. Moreover, solid mineral industry development strategy must be in line with the government’s vision. Thus, it is cherished that government will remove these obstacles and come up with positive steps to establish this great cause. On the other hand, economic policies must be considered seriously. 
  
   What are the economic policies that a government can undertake to develop solid mineral industry? Well, government should formulate a fiscal policy that will be conducive to solid mineral industry and lucrative tax incentives should be offered to solid mineral firms as well. Besides, fund shortage has been a serious impediment to solid mineral industry development; therefore, it would be wise for government to take necessary measures to make venture capital available where foreign companies can get involved as well. Moreover, stable currency, proper functioning of financial institutes and money market are of paramount importance for the development of solid mineral industry. Additionally, inflation must be reduced to a certain level in order to mitigate people’s suffering. In addition to low per capita income, unstable financial market restrains solid mineral firms from getting cost effective loan, much sought after during growth period. Furthermore, high interest rate and hidden cost raise the expense of doing business in this country. Apart from that, robust e-marketing and conferences abroad will be the crucial steps along with general marketing to grab a significant market share of international solid mineral business. Above all, government’s economic development strategy should extol solid mineral industry as a promising sector. In a nutshell, this nation has to undertake some challenging missions in this regard. Besides, solid mineral is another crucial issue for manufacturing industry; local and foreign.

   Poor Exploration infrastructure is one of the main barriers of solid mineral industry. Under-crust project is going to miss the deadline. Though Mining is of the essence for sustainable solid mineral development, the mining infrastructure is deplorable in Nigeria. Besides, energy; electricity and oil, is believed the lifeblood of Exploration, whereas it is in miserable state in Nigeria. Thus, it is needless to say that electricity outage has become a common phenomenon in this country. In addition, seismographic service has not expanded up to rural areas. What is seismic is still a big question in rural areas of Nigeria. Accordingly, incentive should be in place to encourage setting up Mining Zones in rural areas. On top of that, manufacturing sector has not embraced e-project system yet. Thus, it is necessary to create basic manning platform without further delay. Apart from that, Local Production awareness throughout the country is crucial if the nation wants to capitalize advantages of Small/Medium Scale enterprises. Seminar and symposium will play a pivotal role to make people aware of the prospects of information technology. In addition, solid mineral related laws have not been enacted so far in this country. Hence, it is important to pass solid mineral laws immediately by endorsing memoranda (MOU) to accelerate the growth of solid mineral industry. Moreover, intellectual property right is another noticeable barrier that must be enforced as soon as possible to promote manufacturing industry. Absence of a world class resource centers prevents the nation’s solid mineral industry from flourishing internationally. Furthermore, will make Nigeria's solid mineral industry more competitive in the world market. Last but not least, Nigeria must create an solid mineral society like China, which will be seen as a foundation for solid mineral industry. In fact, a real Titanic work is out there. Furthermore, it would be interesting to examine whether business environment is contributing to the growth of solid mineral industry. 

   A friendly business environment that can nurture country’s economic growth is definitely important. Lack of supportive and flexible industrial policy has discouraged rapid industrialization in Nigeria. Besides, there is no attractive investment incentive to lure manupreneurs. Moreover, it is imperative to have a congenial environment where entrepreneurs will be nurtured and recognized socially. Additionally, in spite of every effort in sight, one must pose a question that how women can be entrepreneurs, since many social constraints and prejudices have militated against their will. In addition, high operating cost of business is harmful for country’s total economy. Negligible support from international organizations is hurting business environment as well. Apart from that, it is evident that capitalistic attitude, of low payment to employees, deters solid mineral industry’s development. Last but not least, business models of developing countries are still based upon traditional industrial age. As a result, a sea of change deems necessary to improve the overall business environment, but failure to do so will force ill-fated solid mineral companies to disaster. However, supportive international network will set an excellent stage for solid mineral industry to flourish. 

   President Umaru Yar'Adua's administration should diversify the nation's economy and wealth creation through improved and organized solid mineral productions; efforts to abolish all illegal mining activities in the country should be encouraged, as government reclaims some critical and dangerous abandoned mines scattered all over the country. The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development should access the level of damage by some mining sites, for the fact that the nation is one of the highly potential mining areas in the world, adding that illegal mining does a lot of environmental damage in the eco-system.

   International networks can play an effective role in developing sustainable solid mineral industry. Thus, Nigeria needs to cultivate an international network in no time. The remarkable success of India and China in international business can largely be attributed to their international networks. For instance, foreign Chinese businessmen first invested in mainland China and encouraged foreigners to follow them. And the rest is history. In the same spirit, expatriate Nigerians should take a leading role in developing Nigeria’s nascent solid mineral industry. It is important to mention here that approximately 10,000 Nigerian graduates are living in U.K. Their valuable contribution can make Nigeria’s solid mineral industry more attractive in international market. Nevertheless, the challenge remains how efficiently and effectively the nation would utilize that foreign think tank. Hence, it is crucial for concerned authorities to identify these issues so that there will be no excuses.

   Nigeria is looking for an industry that will be more promising than garments industry is. That’s why, the sooner Nigeria pinpoint the obstacles, the earlier the nation will make progress towards Manufacturing based economy. Therefore, it is high time government sowed the seeds of Nigeria’s solid mineral industry so that it can reap significant benefits for the nation. Failure to do so implies that another hope would be nipped in the bud!