Cross River mineral deposits can fund Nigeria’s budget – Expert

…says what is in Cross River State is more than the oil in Niger Delta

Calabar, Nigeria – Amidst the outcry of meagre allocations by successive governors of Cross River State, an expert in mineral exploration, Thompson Ekpenyong has revealed that the state’s mineral resources can fund the country’s budget year-in-year-out.

In an exclusive interview with Converseer, Ekpenyong said Beryl ore which he found in the state is worth tens of millions at local and then hundreds of millions at international market.

The expert said Beryl, which is the main ore for beryllium is a very tough metal, and is sometime used in alloys to strengthen other metals, nuclear reactors, space vehicles, and X-ray tubes. “A truck of Beryl ore of 13%+ goes for over 40 million naira at local market,” he said.

Below is an excerpt from the interview with Ekpenyong:

Please, can you tell us about yourself and your work in Cross River so far?

“My name is Thompson Ekpenyong and I am into mineral exploration. I have Master’s Degree in Mineral Exploration. People hire me to do exploration for them. I will go to a particular location which I will just assumed that there’s something. You know I am a geologist. If I look at your soil and terrain, what I see around that terrain we called it pathfinder mineral, pathfinder soil. That will help me to know which particular thing may likely be in that place. That will motivate me to do a prospective and dig for 1, 2, 3 or 4 metres depending on the capacity.

“That thing I saw was at Akamkpa but I will not tell you where in Akamkpa. I’ve been able to contact some politicians in Cross River. One of them I am submitting a proposal to him. Until when something is done that’s when I can take those things down. I am a young person that also need to be appreciated.

“Geologically, there’s nothing like South South. That one is a political region, not a geological region. Cross River State is Southeast. That mineral you saw, we got it here in Odukpani. It was Chinese people that sent me down there. I think they are coming any of these days. It’s limestone. They want to use it for cement.”

Is the state government aware, or is it from the local government?

“The thing is that mining is under exclusive list. State government doesn’t really have hand in those things, except a land that is tied down without operation. Like now somebody can just come and take a coordinate in your place and tie the land down without operating in that land. It’s just lock the land and keep. If you can remember what Donald Duke did when he was a governor, where he had to fight with the Nigerian Army when they tie Parliamentary Extension, so he had to go and unlock the place and people started buying land and start to develop the place.

“If you tie a particular land and keep, the state governor has the executive power to revoke the licence. But licence is to be renewed every 5 years. So if by the end of the day there’s no operation in the past 5 years, the state governor can use executive order and walk into the cadastral unit in Abuja and revoke the licence and keep the place open. Someone can then put application. Like what we are doing now, I think they are about to revoke the licence. They will now put in application. I think the state government is involve because it was one of the government officials that sent me down there.

“I like the current Governor, Prince Bassey Otu, because he has vision for the state. What is in Cross River State is more than the oil in Niger Delta. Do you know that the deposit of Manganese in Cross River can feed all the companies in Africa. There’s one man that’s trying to get a contract with Switzerland from that same Manganese. It’s worth over hundred million dollars. I was the one that even discovered the site for him. The man is nowhere to be found, and he has locked the site.

“The people of the state are not showing concern. The first person I am about to work for, which I’m meeting with him soon is an honourable. He’s from this Cross River State. I’m giving him the proposal. That’s the first Cross Riverian I’m about to working for. Every other person is from Igbo, Hausa, Delta and all that. I’ve never worked for somebody from here. It’s even now they started coming into the business.

“The thing is that mining needs mind, and you need to have money for you to go into mining. You don’t need to start and stop somewhere. You need to finish everything, by hitting what you are going for. I know of a lady that lost more than 200 million naira in mining in less than one year. But when she recovered her money, she made over four billion naira. When she made that money that was when people started coming. When she was losing nobody cares to know. It’s just like what is happening currently in Biase. Those guys have been there without seeing anything, but now they are making money.”

In the case of the Chinese, is it the owners of the locked land that brings them in?

“No. The government is involve. The person that took me down there is working with the government.”

As a geologist what do you value the berilium core?

“That thing is an indicator that massive deposit is beneath the earth surface. What I was doing was just a manual prospecting. Now, the man I am meeting tomorrow by God’s grace is interested. He’s a Federal House member. I want him to fund the physical investigation. Once we hit it, the market is there. He told me that he has international market. In Nigeria a metric ton is N1 million. If you take it to international market you may sell it up to N10 million per metric ton. The N1 million the person will take care of the logistics, but the N10 million you will be in charge of the logistics. You can send it to China or anywhere.

“I am also suggesting that if they can bring in a processing plant in Cross River State where we will employ so many young graduates. And when you are selling the processed material it’s more expensive than selling the raw one. Berite is sold around N40,000 for a metric ton. They use it in oil company for drilling mud. Some rich countries use it for construction of bridges and all that, but we don’t have such technology to do that here. Prince said they will set up a processing plant in Yala. When I heard that I was very happy. It’s just for you guys to support him and pray for him.”

“They are doing mining of Kaolin in Ikot Effanga Mkpa. All the ceramic plates that they are producing in Aba and Anambra the material is from that place.”