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a. It is capable of taking them away from agriculture, which of course is an selection veritable selection profit earner for the state. When the individuals forsake agriculture they waste arable lands and there would be food shortage.
Baryte has simply a few monetary and industrial usages. It is a forged mineral which has many industrial usages. The more organic and natural industrial usages are listed beneath:
Nasarawa State, acknowledged by its sobriquet as Home of Solid Minerals, was once created out of vintage Plateau State on October 1, 1996, by the General Sani Abacha defense force regime. It is made up of thirteen nearby government spaces, with Lafia as the executive seat of the state. It is positioned in the Middle Belt zone of Nigeria and lies between latitude 7 and 9 degrees north and longitude 7 and 10 degrees east. It stocks organic and natural boundaries with Benue State to the south, Kogi State to the west, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, to the north-west. To the north is Kaduna State; at the same time as to the east is Taraba State. It has a population of 1,207,876. (1991 census). The individuals are hospitable and accommodating and feature cultural and normal affinity with one some other. Christianity, Islam, and Traditional religion exist part by part among the many people. The landmass is blessed with well off soil and the climate conditions which favours the ample construction of food crops. The state is also endowed with forged mineral deposits like gemstones, clay, baryte, granite, and so forth.
There is no gain announcing the fact that the arriving across of baryte in Azara has tremendously helped Nasarawa State in the eradication of unemployment in the state. It is an indeniable fact that baryte exploration in Azara has furnished employment for a excellent majority of indigenes and residents of Nasarawa State, especially Awe Local Government Area with particular emphasis on Azara community. These individuals would in yet one more means have been unemployed and this would have given the state government a critical headache. Hundreds of residents and indigenes of the state, especially females, girls and youths have been gainfully employed at the Azara mining veins. Some are diggers, loaders, miners, system operators, and so on. These individuals earn a worthy profit day-to-day. This research revealed that the least paid worker earns, at least seven hundred naira (N700), day-to-day. If that's calculated over a interval of thirty days (a month) they would be earning twenty one thousand (N 21,000) monthly. To think that these workers are the least paid at the sites and they are unskilled is remarkable. If they were to await the scarce public service employment and get it, they would probably have been earning the minimum wage which is grossly incomparable to the profit they happily earn at the mining sites.
Any sensitive government want to be taught the immense importance of industrialization in the fast growth of their economies. Many sensitive governments have thus validated or motivated the installation of industries in their large amounts of states. It for that reason is helping to minimize the over-dependence on crude oil. The solely means of achieving this function is to diversity their economies by encouraging fast industrialization. Baryte is a veritable sector that might contribute over forty percent of the Gross National Product (GNP) if harnessed to the fullest and over sixty percent of foreign exchange profit. The presence of forged minerals in a state or nation attracts both nearby and foreign investors to make investments in such state or nation. For example, Rivers State is extraordinarily industrialized as a result of its organic and natural resources - crude oil - which brought on the institution of multinational oil organizations like Shell Petroleum, Chevron, Elf, Total, Texaco, Mobil, and so on, to make the highest the organic and natural resources into accomplished product. This would be the case also with Nasarawa State if the govt. and individuals of the state embark on a critical drive to promote exploration activities going on in these sites, especially baryte exploration. Taxes and royalties are paid by the industries to the govt.. For instance, Lagos State government earns highest of her revenue from taxes and royalties paid to her by industries and organizations positioned the state.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. EMPLOYMENT PROVISION
3. COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
These questions are germane to ensuring the monetary viability of baryte as a veritable selection profit for Nasarawa State. As hot as the demand for these forged minerals at both nearby and international markets, Nasarawa State should have been corresponding to richly endowed cities like Port Harcourt, Warri and Texas. It should be noted that the above pointed out statistical prognosis doesn't encompass how much the govt. would make if it involved in the exploration procedure. The government might make five hundred percent or more if it involved in the exploration procedure
If the govt. encourages deepest investors into the state and they come with industries and organizations, there would be a organic and natural tendency to augment the construction level of the forged minerals. Increasing the style of commercial troubles in the state without delay complements the chances of the exploration manufacturer getting larger markets for their merchandise as uncooked materials for the industries. Such marketing facilities being in constant touch with distant customers, bulk buyers of uncooked materials, and arranged wholesales marketing sector for the state.
ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF BARYTE
There are in fact two wide grades of barytes. They are the high true gravity grade (High S.G.) and low true gravity grades (Low S.G). These grades are recurrently known as high grades and low grades, respectively. The grades are measured in true gravity unit of measurement and which may be done in laboratories. A grade falling beneath four.O (S.G.) is labeled as low grade baryte, whereas a grade that rises above, between, four.2 (S.G.) and four.5 (S.G.) is labeled as high grade. The high grade is that which suits the oil and gas trade. Little wonder it is of better demand and attracts better worth. For example, at Azara site, the low grade sells for between two thousand naira (N 2000) and three thousand naira (N 3000) for a metric tonne, whereas the high grade sells for five thousand naira (N 5000) for a metric tonne. At Port Harcourt, the price is remarkably better as a metric tonne of high grade baryte sells for about twenty thousand naira (N 20,000). This is it seems that because there are both the processing factories and the refineries there. This product is also domestically processed and sold as accomplished product for delivering to refineries in Nigeria and overseas. It is especially horny to know that a metric tonne of accomplished product sells for one hundred and twenty thousand naira (N a hundred and twenty, 000) (Courtesy of Nigeria Baryte Mining and Processing Company Limited, NBMPC Ltd.)This is a house which, I regarded, should interest the govt. and individuals of Nasarawa State.
What is the govt. doing to learn from this lucrative forged mineral? What are the constraints of recovering construction of the forged mineral? Cant the state government establish its own processing manufacturer to learn from this venture thereby creating more jobs for its teaming population? What can the govt. do to boost construction and inspire nearby processing?
8. The transportation and technical worth of exploiting Azara deposit is comparatively reduce than that of importing the commodity from overseas. This will tremendously save the state some foreign exchange, at the same time as, at a similar time, creating nearby monetary. Little wonder that the govt. has rightly banned the importation of baryte into the state thereby boosting nearby construction and generating employment and overall happiness.
7. CREATION OF ORGANIZED MARKETING SECTOR
8. INCREASES IN TECHNICAL SKILLS
The discovery and exploration of baryte deposits at Azara has tremendously empowered to individuals and government of the host community. These individuals don't necessarily have to remain a burden to the govt. any longer. The government would no longer have to feel sleepless nights trying to offer social services for them. The community is being involved in the exploration procedure as forty percent (40%) of the mining correct is reserved for the nearby community. Again, this files is courtesy of the Project Manager, NBMPC Ltd Azara.
7. STATE GOVERNMENT DIRECT INVESTMENT
3. It is also utilized in rubber processing trade. It is invaluable in coagulating rubber even in the absence of sulphur which is helping in vulcanizing rubber.
INDUSTRIAL USAGE OF BARYTE
The earning realized from these forged minerals, especially baryte, can transform the fortune of the state positively. When nicely managed (this is important) the earning from baryte, as smartly as other forged minerals in the state might transform the panorama and overall infrastructure of the state, tremendously. The earning can be used for the availability of basic social amenities such building highways, flyovers, stadium, airports, new harbors, repairing bad roads, electricity, fitness care centres, progressive colleges and tertiary associations, pipe borne water, electricity, fitness care centres, , recreation and tourist centres, communication networks, and so on.
It is my recommendation, for that reason, dependent on the three major associated difficulties of mining, that government should encourage the individuals not to completely abandon agriculture. They should be taught the advantages of getting more than one item as the monetary product of a individuals. Also, critical sensitization, which might just be aided by laws, should begin, to encourage folks to let their wards go to school. In addition to this, nomadic schools should be validated at mining sites to be certain that that the young ones will have the virtue of going to school. By so doing Nasarawa State will be investing in its future. As for ecological difficulties associated with baryte, and indeed forged minerals exploration, government should rapidly get professionals to access, have a look at and make appropriate recommendation for the tackling of the likely difficulties prior to it wrecks havoc.
2. It is also used as weight filler in paper trade. The whitish color of the Azara baryte and its high true gravity (S.G.) account for its better use in the paper trade.
Baryte is a blend of barium and sulphur. In its organic and natural kind, baryte is composed of barium sulphate. It is represented in the elemental description as BaSo4 that's because its principal constituents parts are baryon (BaO) 32.50% and sulphur (fifty one.10%). It is a non metallic (heavy) mineral which belongs to the style of caulk. It on occasion appears whitish or crystalline at outcrop scale. There is on the other hand it certainly traces of yellow and brown patches that are noticeable in hand specimen. As a dense mineral that it is, baryte is mixed with other minerals and chemical substances in the preparation of setting up mud for drilling mud in the oil and gas trade.
Local Government Levy - N3000
The government of Nasarawa State has a meaningful role to play in ensuring the monetary viability of forged minerals as a veritable selection profit for the state with particular connection with baryte exploration in Azara. The government should be certain that that there is ample peace and security of lives and property in the state. The government should discourage, in clear terms, the perpetuation of ethnic, devout or political conflicts. This has the result of advertising the reputation of the state, thereby encouraging foreign and national investors to come and make investments in the economy of the state. In a summary, the govt. should verify the creation of a stable political climate.
2. PRIVATIZATION
The government should allow and inspire deepest participation in the exploration activities in the state, especially baryte. Enabling laws and bye laws should be enacted to present protection to and insure the enormous amounts of deepest investors or individuals.
Baryte was once first detected in Azara in the early nineteen sixties (Courtesy of Geological Survey of Nigeria, 1965). Exploratory search lasted for a few decade, between 1975 and 1985 by the Nigeria Mining Corporation. The Nigeria Baryte Mining and Processing Company (NBMPC) Ltd., incorporated in 1988, was once charged with the exploration and exploitation of baryte in Azara and any part of Nigeria whereby baryte is found. The (NBMPC) Ltd. is wholly owned by the Nigeria Mining Corporation with its Headquarters in Jos. Initial reconnaissance revealed eighteen (18) veins at spaces like Azara, Aloshi, Akiri, Wuse and Keana in Awe Local Government Area. Out of those eighteen (18) veins, aspect exploration works were carried out in five (5) and these revealed a total reserve of 7 hundred and thirty thousand (730,000) metric tonnes of baryte. Veins 1, 2, 5, 17 and 18 are the five (5) veins in use.
INTRODUCTION
Government should initiate objective policies geared toward training young males and females to remain and work as expert or semi expert labour in the exploration organizations to boost construction of unfinished merchandise as smartly as accomplished merchandise from the forged minerals, especially baryte, in the state. This has one other result of offering human capital growth for the state. To achieve this also, vocational/technical schools and/or science colleges and polytechnics should be validated with emphasis on forged minerals exploration since the state is the dwelling of forged minerals. For instance the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Efurun, Delta State was once validated dependent on technical training of young males and females to remain and work in oil organizations.
HISTORY AND PROFILE OF AZARA BARYTE:
Community Development Levy - N500
This is among the difficulties besetting the Nigeria Mining Corporation. The Nasarawa State government should maintain away from this pitfall when it creates its own manufacturer to explore barytes at Azara.
A go to to Azara community is tantamount to a disconnection from communication. There is no communication network offering services in the region. This is not always encouraging to outside and foreign investors. The world is in a stage of globalization and communication is one major tool for making the world a global village. Communication leads to transformation and transformation leads to range in attitude. The government of Nasarawa State should encourage the telecommunication organizations to delay their services to canopy mining spaces of the state, especially Azara community whereby it is highest urgently needed.
5. COMMUNICATION NETWORK
four. EXPAND AND STRENGTHEN BASIC SERVICES/INFRASTRUCTURE
5. IMPROVED STANDARD OF LIVING:
Besides generating foreign profit for the federation as smartly as for Nasarawa State, baryte exploration in Azara will save the nation from over spending on importation of the commodity thereby gaining foreign exchange.
Thanks to the federal government which has graciously banned the additional importation of barytes into the state. This has, by no small means, motivated and boosted nearby construction of the forged minerals.
9. It is on rfile, dependent on more clean estimate, that there is a total reserve of about seven hundred and thirty thousand (seventy three,000) tonnes of baryte to be found in solely five of the thirteen veins realized at Azara. This report is courtesy of the Project Manager, NBMPC Ltd, Azara, given on the thirteenth of July, 2005. It should be noted on the other hand it certainly that ninety six% of Azara baryte is used by the oil and gas trade as oil-smartly stabilizer. On the full, there should be reserves of over a hundred thousand tonnes of high caliber barytes at Azara, whereby about 18 veins measuring about 2m x 1000m are being mined beneath the supervision of the Nigeria Mining Corporation.
four. It is utilized in the glass manufacturing trade
1. ENABLING SOCIO-POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
Having carried out this on-the-spot assessment of forged minerals in Nasarawa State, with particular connection with baryte exploration in Azara, I like to proffer particular innovations for the consideration of the state government.
It should be borne in mind that, had these individuals - a whole lot of them - not been employed by the exploration activities of baryte, the state government would have had to contend with critical social security and public security difficulties as many of them might desire turned to criminals or thugs, which is as an opportunity much associated with unemployment.
9. REPLACEMENT OF OBSOLETE MACHINES
Mining activities have large amounts of negative effects on the host community.
5. It is utilized in building asbestos roofs and caliber wall paper. As asbestos is increasingly turning into fashionable among Nigeria developers, this opens a new window for those organizations to look inward for baryte. The high true gravity caliber and strategic location makes the Azara baryte a larger selection.
Federal Government N 3, 600
6. It is also utilized in chemical industries for agro-allied applications. For example, it is utilized in the making of animal feeds, fertilizers, and so on.
eleven. CUSHIONING THE EFFECT OF MINING ON THE COMMUNITY
This statistical prognosis is courtesy of the Project Manager of the Nigeria Barite Mining and Processing Company (NBPMC) Limited, Azara. From the above prognosis, it is evident that the state government earns about 52.6% from each trailer load leaving Azara whereas the Federal Governemnt earns about forty seven.four%. The revenue becomes very meaningful when it is regarded towards the backdrop that there are at least ten trailers which leave Azara on a day-to-day foundation, consisting of Saturdays and Sundays. If a rough estimation is made, it'd be realized that Nasarawa State might make at least modest revenue of forty thousand naira (N 40,000), day-to-day as royalties and fourteen million, six hundred thousand naira constant with annum. When this revenue is regarded towards the backdrop that solely five out of the current eighteen veins are at the second being exploited and beneath prospective, several query would be begging for urgent answers. Some of the questions that would rapidly arise are:
7. Recent program in the pharmaceutical organizations for medicines has made the search for baryte just like the search for the mythical Treasure Island.
b. It is capable of struggling with the individuals especially females and tots from getting education. A go to to Azara mining site, one would notice that a majority of the workers there are mostly females and young girls.
It is clear that the state government would derive more revenue if it participates without delay in the exploration procedure. Due to the high worth of processing the baryte into accomplished merchandise, many deepest persons might just not be capable of make investments in that region on the other hand the state government might supply fund and make investments in the short run with a view to getting the manufacturer public in any case. It should be noted here that a metric tonne of the accomplished product of baryte stones worth one hundred and twenty thousand naira (N a hundred and twenty,000), whereby a tonne at Azara is valued at not more than five thousand naira. We can for that reason see how much the govt. would be saving if it were to ascertain its own processing factory at Nasarawa. The gains would be tremendous and a lot more individuals would gain employment in the eventual factories.
8. PRUDENT MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES
This research revealed that, for each truck that leaves Azara day-to-day, about seven thousand six hundred naira (N7,600) is remitted to the enormous amounts of tiers of presidency and the host community in this order; (Courtesy of the Project Manager, NBMPC Ltd., Azara.
The export of those forged minerals serves as foreign exchange earning to the state because baryte is utilized in so many industrial processes like drilling of oil, gas manufacturing, paint manufacturing, in the paper trade, in the rubber processing trade, in agro chemical/pharmaceutical industries, and so on. It probably a veritable supply of foreign exchange earning for the state and Nasarawa State especially. The proceeds from the earning realized from these minerals can be used to pay for capital goods, imported. It might just also be used to make investments on investments. Although, this fashionable, it has not assumed the dimension of a qualified commodity resulting from beneath utilization, it is hoped that with the governments improved investment in the exploration and processing of baryte from its crude state to its accomplished product, the commodity shall change into among the export commodities that Nasarawa State will boast of and which can earn good dollars for state and the federation. The multivariate use of barite permits search for larger tonnage and caliber barytes. The Azara baryte has better mineralogical and geochemical properties that are in contra-distinction from barite found in other parts of the state. Its strategic geological and geographical location on occasion reduces transportation worth, exploration worth, technological overburden, which invariably increases its monetary viability compared with the stylish market worth of baryte.
2. REVENUE GENERATION
It is recurrently held in many quarters that Nigeria is endowed with vast organic and natural resources on the other hand bad management of the resources have saved the nation perpetually beneath-developed. This should not be the case with Nasarawa State. Hence, government should appoint solely dependableremember and reputable persons, preferably reputable renowned devout leaders, to cope its resources as a means to be certain that that the state gets its revenue nicely and supply dividend of fine leadership.
Miners Associations Levy (State Govt.) - N500
There is no valid contention of the fact that the invention and eventual exploration of baryte in Azara has tremendously expanded the revenue base of Nasarawa State. Royalties and taxes are paid to the three tiers of presidency (the federal, the state and the nearby governments) by the organizations exploiting the forged minerals.
Government has an urgent duty to offer and up grade social services like pipe borne safe drinking water, electricity, improved road network, and housing (especially for expert miners), and so on. This will encourage more investors to ascertain mining industries in the state to make the highest the forged minerals and also benefit from the reachable infrastructure to ease the evacuation of uncooked materials and goods from the respective sites whereby they are produced to spaces whereby they are needed. For example, the access road to Azara from Lafia is hardly motorable. Lorries fall very recurrently and this, if allowed to continue, might discourage prospective investors.
The workers employed in the enormous amounts of mining exploration sites in the state will gradually change into more expert in the strategies of construction thus discouraging the necessity for foreign technicians and professionals.
Government should replace the mining machines with more clean or progressive ones as the ones at the second getting used are obsolete especially that of the Nigeria Baryte Mining and Processing Company Ltd. (a division of the Nigeria Mining Corporation).
c. It is capable of resulting in ecological difficulties in the future.
6. INDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE STATE
With the creation of crude oil in Nigeria, forged minerals exploration and exploitation, as smartly as agriculture, have been relegated to the background. There is on the other hand it certainly certainly that crude oil is the mainstay of Nigerias economy. The forged mineral, baryte, is of a strategic importance to the oil and gas trade. There is certainly for that reason that the Azara baryte exploitation holds a promise for the future of Nasarawa State. In view of this realistic position, the monetary viability of forged minerals as a veritable selection profit for Nasarawa State, with a selected connection with baryte exploration in Azara can not be over emphasized. This research is an expository in that direction.
1. It is mixed with other minerals and chemical substances and used as an inert volume and weight filler in drilling mud. Its high true gravity (S.G.) which gives additional weight to the mud is helping to prevent blow out all the means thru drilling. Major servicing and oil organizations in the oil and gas trade in the Niger Delta import baryte for their industrial operations. The Azara baryte is thus invaluable, especially that it has the correct mineralogical and geochemical properties needed for drilling operations. The high true gravity (four.forty five), which is recurrently known as the high grade, can be tailored to healthy any mud model. It reduces the hassle of Baryte sag, (loss of weighting property).
6. VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL TRAINING
3. INDUSTRIAL BANKS
Industrial banks should be validated to attend to the difficulty-free running of the exploration trade. These banks can supply capital loans or supplies to nearby or foreign investors in the trade.
10. ADEQUATE FUNDING
ABSTRACT
four. SOURCE OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNING
