Today’s Make Nigeria Better series takes us to Nasarawa State in the north central geo-political zone which bears the nickname Home of Solid Minerals

Ayo Akinfe

[1] When it was created in 1991, Nasarawa State was given the nickname Home of Solid Minerals in the hope that it would become the “Australia of Nigeria” where minerals are prospected for, mined, processed and then manufactured into finished goods in huge quantities. Sadly, this dream of it a state that generates export revenue from solid minerals is nowhere being realised and to be frank is not even on the horizon

[2] Nasarawa State has large deposits of various minerals such as salt, baryte, bauxite, dolomite, matble, coal, sapphire, talc, quart, tantalite, tourmaline, mica, chalcopyrite, clay, cassirite, iron ore, columbite, galena and feldspar. Why do the world’s largest mining companies like Rio Tinto, BHP, Glencore, Vale, etc, not all have huge bases in Nasarawa State? They should all have their headquarters in Lafia, the state capital, with regional offices scattered around the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State

[3] Let us leave solid minerals aside for a minute and move on to location. River Benue runs right across Nasarawa State’s southern border. Can someone please explain to me why the state government has not built a hydro-electric power plant in somewhere like Tunga or Umaisha to provide electricity for export to other states

[4] Still on location, the proximity of Nasarawa State to the Federal Capital Territory should make it a foreign direct investment haven. Its eastern local government areas like Karu and Todo should be havens for housing estates, industrial estates, out-of-town offices, university campuses, etc. The Nasarawa State government should then build a railway line connecting these areas with central Abuja

[5] Agriculture is another area where Nasarawa State should be excelling but alas, over 70% of its population is still involved in 19th century subsistence farming. Nasarawa State has a huge landmass of 26,256 square kilometres and a population of just over 2m, making it perfect for US-style prairies. Its commercial farms and plantations should just go on and on for hours

[6] Nasarawa State is also a major transit point linking southern and northern Nigeria, so should have a thriving hospitality industry. Unfortunately, according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, Nasarawa State has a poverty rate of 57.3%, making it the 12th state with the highest poverty rate. Urban centres like Lafia, Keffi, Karu and Nasarawa need to be transformed with hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, amusement centres, theme parks, gaming arcades, etc. Travellers are supposed to enjoy their transit through Nasarawa State

[7] Nasarawa State is also a major market centre for food crops like yam, sorghum, millet, soybeans, shea nuts and cotton grown in the surrounding area. Can someone please explain to me why the Nasarawa State government has not cashed in on this with the launch of an ambitious Keffi Agricultural Exchange, making the city a place where people come to buy and sell farm goods from all over the country. Maybe they should study the history of the Chicago Board of Trade

[8] In terms of tourism, Nasarawa State also has a lot of potential due to the presence of a few historic sites. These include Farin Ruwa Falls in Wamba Local Government Area, Eggon Hills and Maloney Hills. Maybe the Nasarawa State government should float a tourist parastatal in conjunction with the private sector to invest in all these sites, upgrade the facilities and woo tourists

[9] Another unique resource Nasarawa State has is Salt Village in Keana Local Government Area, which produces naturally iodized salt from the lake located nearby. Can someone please explain to me why the Nasarawa State government has not built the world’s largest salt plant in this village

[10] Given its large expanse of land, small population of just over 2m, proximity to Abuja and location within Nigeria’s agrarian Middle Belt, Nasarawa State would be perfect to site agricultural equipment manufacturers. I want to see the state government woo the like of John Deere, Kubota Corporation, Agco Corporation, etc to come and open plants in Lafia and Keffi to make tractors, combined harvesters, rotary tillers, ploughing machines, power harrows, levellers, water bowsers, ripper machines and disc harrows.

Ayoakinfe@gmail.com