By Chris Ndibe
Mr Ahmed Maina, a Lecturer in the Department of Geology, Yobe State University says there are about 18 untapped mineral resources at commercial quantity.
Maina said on Monday in Damaturu that some of the minerals include limestone, gypsum, trona, kaolin, diatomite, bentonite, crude oil, among others.
He said Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi and Jigawa states were part of the Chad Basin blessed with abundant mineral resources.
“Trona which is available in Fika Local Government is used to manufacture detergent. It is also used for producing Plaster of Paris (POP).
“In the same local government, we have limestone deposit with very huge reserve estimate.
“This means if Nigeria will develop cement factory in that local government, the factory will not only sustain Nigeria but it will sustain Africa at large,” Maina said.
Dr Garba Iliya, another Geologist based in Damaturu, put the estimate of the reserve of gypsum at 141 million tonnes, saying the mineral was lying fallow in Gujba, Gulani, Fune and Fika Local Government Areas.
He said 247 million tonnes of limestone and 231 tonnes of kaolin were available in Gujba, Gulani, Nangere and Fika local government areas.
Iliya said the reserve estimate of diatomite stood at 152.8 million tonnes in Gujba, Gulani, Damaturu, Fune and Fika, while 88.3 million tonnes of Trona/Potash could be found in Geidam, Karasuwa, Yusufari and Yunusari.
Iliya said that there was also 1.9 million tonnes of Silica Sand in Geidam, Nangere and Fika local government areas.
