Despite Nigeria’s rich endowment in solid minerals, the country is still far from tapping into its full mining potential, says Dr. Muhammad Bukar , HOD Department of Geology, University of Maiduguri.
Dr. Bukar stated this in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Mining. Tracing the history of growth in the mining sector, he noted, “Nigeria has a glorious history of solid mineral exploration. In the early 60s and up to mid-70s, there was remarkable mineral exploration for both domestic consumption and export. Solid minerals contributed up to 12% of the nation’s GDP.”
That is no longer the case. “Fast forward to today,” he said, “solid minerals’ contribution to Nigeria’s GDP is less than 1%.”
He compared Nigeria’s standing to other African nations: “Solid minerals contribute greater than 6% to the GDP of Ghana, up to 20% to the GDP of Guinea and Senegal, and 24% to the GDP of Mauritania.”

According to Bukar, Nigeria’s over-reliance on petroleum stifled the mining sector: “The reason for the decline in the contribution of the solid mineral sector is the discovery of petroleum. Nigeria has been solely dependent on petroleum as an export commodity. But today, the game is changing.”
He also identified structural limitations: “The sector is not well developed. There is inadequate infrastructure including poor road networks—both railway and road. The power supply is unreliable and there is limited communication infrastructure.”
Security was another top concern: “We all know the security challenges in northeast Nigeria and northwest today. There is also the problem of illegal mining.”
Despite these obstacles, Bukar remains optimistic: “There is an emerging mining market in Nigeria today. The market is growing and has the potential of attracting investors within and outside the country.”