FG IGNORES NIGERIA'S MULTIBILLION NAIRA GEMSTONE DEPOSITS: Daily Trust, Oct 21, 2015
Gemstone business is a big income generator and Nigeria should be making good money from it. But it is not.
Nigeria is endowed with abundance of precious and semi-precious stones
that can fetch billions of dollars on the world market. Gemstones like
sapphire, ruby, aquamarine, emerald, tourmaline, topaz, garnet,
amethyst, zircon and others are available in large quantities. Paraiba
tourmalines found in Oyo state, for instance, could go for as much as
$5,000 per carat, say experts.
In the international market, there are many factors that determine
prices between one gemstone and the other. For example, a carat of ruby
can cost $10,000 depending on its quality. The better the clarity, the
higher the cost. Also sharp coloured and smoothly cut stones attract
higher costs. The bigger the stone, the more it is per carat. Within
each variety, prices are based on these qualities, with colour being the
most important factor.
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According to Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, lately Permanent Secretary
Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, who is now the acting Head
of the Civil Service of the Federation, at a recent gemstones exhibition
held in Abuja, gemstones can command premium prices in both local and
international markets only when they are carefully cut, shaped and
polished. Oyo-Ita lamented that sadly, the gemstone processing stage is
lacking in Nigeria.
“There is no official market for gemstones display in Nigeria, neither
has there been any estimated reserve of the quantity being mined or
traded,” she added.
Oyo-Ita further illustrated the foreign exchange potential of the
resource. “A Nigerian blue sapphire that weighed 4.03 carats was sold
for $8,625 in the United States of America recently. That is to say that
it cost about $2,140 per carat. It therefore shows that good quality
Nigerian sapphire can fetch a lot of money. One kilogram of polished
sapphire is 5000 carats, hence 5,000 by 2,140 equals N2.1bn, which is
equivalent of 214,000 barrels of crude oil at $50 per barrel,” she said.
Interestingly, in September 2014, the Gemological Institute of America
(GIA) reported that a source of high quality blue sapphire was found in
the Mambilla Plateau, of Taraba State. According to the report, samples
were taken to the GIA laboratory in Bangkok and the rough gems were
found to be not only of good quality but were also available in large
sizes, some ranging from 100 to 300 carats.
From the laboratory analysis, the first elements that were pointed out
suggested that the sapphire deposits provided “a winning combination of
size, high clarity, attractive colour and good crystal habit from a
cutter’s perspective.” The discovery reportedly caused considerable
excitement in the Bangkok marketplace.
Oyo-Ita further illustrated that a Nigerian rubelite tourmaline of 5.62
carats was also sold for $1,011, approximately $180 per carat.
According to her, “one kilogram of polished tourmaline, which is 5000
carats, will sell for $180 by 5000, which equals $900,000 by N198 to
give a whopping N178.2m, which is equivalent to 18,000 barrels of crude
oil at $50 per barrel.
Godfrey Uche Nwadike, an International Coloured Gemstone Association
(ICA) ambassador, disclosed a new tourmaline mine has also been
discovered in the old town of Ile-Ife in Osun state, which is not an
area hitherto known for gemstone production.
Nwadike said there are presently three well-known emerald mines in
Nigeria, although none has received any significant attention. He said
these emerald mines represent huge opportunities for anyone willing to
make the needed investment.
In 2005, a home-grown mining intervention was conceptualized. The
Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project (SMMRP) was provided
with a $120m World Bank credit to increase government’s long-term
institutional and technical capacity to manage Nigeria’s mineral
resources in a sustainable way. It was also meant to develop non-farm
income generating opportunities through small-scale artisanal mining.
The immediate past Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect
Musa Sada put in place a comprehensive gemstone development programme.
It included a training on gemstones awareness and identification,
gemstone Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) master-mining
techniques, the establishment of an international lapidary and the
development of gemological training platforms and gem-buying centres.
But if all of these developmental strides have been properly put into
use to achieve the desired results remains an issue of debate. A
gemstone expert and professor of Mining Engineering, Zaccheus Opafunso,
in a recent chat said Nigeria has failed to harness the full potential
of the available gemstones due to the overdependence on crude oil.
“The gemstones sector in Nigeria is severely constrained, with most
operations unguided and unregulated. Policies in place are inadequate,
and generally gemstone miners are untrained and contribute hugely to
environmental degradation, poor quality operational techniques and loss
of minerals. This has caused substantial losses in revenue to the
country by way of exports, as well as through royalties and taxes,” he
lamented.
While calling for a total overhauling of the legislations regulating
the titles and licences for mining operators, Opafunso believed that an
improved and adequate legal framework would phase out illegal mining and
full potentials of the nation’s gemstones achieved.
In her submission, Mrs Oyo-Ita promised that as the nation seeks to
diversify into a non-oil revenue base, the government would continue to
partner with relevant stakeholders to create a conducive environment and
attract potential investors into the solid minerals sector through
necessary incentives and support. According to her, efforts are already
being put in place to rejuvenate activities in the gemstones mining
sector to minimize smuggling and at the same time attract huge
investments into the sector.
Read more at
https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/business/fg-ignores-nigeria-s-multibillion-naira-gemstone-deposits/115987.html#jOfjapJfvm31VQQv.99
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