尼日利亚矿产资源开发现状及投资环境

尼日利亚是非洲人口和经济第一大国,是中国“一带一路”倡议与中非合作的重要组成部分。该国矿产资源丰富,锂矿、锡铌钽矿、金矿和铁矿成矿条件好,找矿潜力大,但是其地质工作程度较低,大部分矿产尚未进行勘探,具有良好的投资前景。乔斯-包奇花岗岩型稀有金属成矿带和中西部金及伟晶岩型稀有金属成矿带的金矿、锂矿和铌钽矿为目前中资企业投资的热点地区和矿种。在矿业政策方面,尼日利亚将矿业激励措施制度化,进一步提高其矿业对外国投资者的吸引力。通过尼日利亚矿产资源的开发现状和矿业投资环境的分析,提出了尼日利亚矿业投资建议,对中资企业在尼日利亚投资矿业具有一定的指导意义。     

A reconsideration of the Afrocentric principle in Nigeria’s foreign policy framework

One of the principles guiding the conduct of Nigeria’s foreign policy is Afrocentrism. The concept of Nigeria’s Afrocentric policy embodies two intertwined ideas. First, it is designed to advance the interest and wellbeing of African countries through different intra and extra-African diplomatic channels. Second, the reason for embracing a representative function on behalf of Africa in global forums and the enormous sacrifices undertaken in the process is to enhance Nigeria’s status as Africa’s undisputed leader. The exploits and sacrifices in the pursuit of the policy notwithstanding, Nigeria has had to endure some disappointments and inconveniences. Going forward, this article contends that the philosophies underlying the policy must be reconsidered. In the uncertain world of diplomacy where empathy and benevolence are not always rewarded, Nigeria must embrace an ‘imperialistic’ agenda in its foreign policy calculations towards Africa.

     

Climatological drought in Nigeria

In this paper, the definitions of drought are reviewed and evaluated for Nigeria. Drought in Nigeria is thought of as a purely climatological or meteorological phenomenon, that is, a temporary abnormal rainfall deficiency over the country, the result of some unfavourable meteorological conditions such as persistent widespread subsistence and the absence or weakness in the atmospheric rain-generating systems during the rainfall season.     

The paradoxical neglect of the petroleum —producing regions of Nigeria: a revisitation

Crude oil provides more than 92% of the total export earnings in Nigeria. Paradoxically, there is a serious benign neglect and impoverishments of the rural areas where the oil comes from. Dehumanisation, poverty, malnutrition, poor shelters and underemployments are failure stories of these regions. This article examines these general problems in Nigeria. It suggests a number of alternatives and concludes with the statement that no nation can be said to have developed unless all its parts recieve their share of development attention. The oil-producing regions of Nigeria deserve to be compensated for their contributions to the general prosperity of the nation.     

The acquistion and application of basic land use data in urban growth analysis: A case study of Metropolitan Lagos

Basic to the study of urban growth is information on population and land use changes. These basic data are generally lacking in Nigeria. This paper examines and assesses the growth of urban land use of Lagos (the Federal Capital of Nigeria) through a systematic utilization of sequential serial photographs (taken in 1962 at a scale of 1:40,000, and in 1974, at a scale of 1:20,000) and computer techniques. The land use data resulting are then used in evaluating the population growth of Lagos. The resulting population estimate is then compared with the available population data. The study concludes by recommending the use of remote sensing, especially aerial photography for the acquisition of basic urban data not only in Nigeria but also in other developing countries lacking in such data.     

Borehole failures in crystalline rocks of South-Western Nigeria

Boreholes drilled in the crystalline rocks of Nigeria have a reputation of failures and low yields. The performance of 256 boreholes drilled in different parts of the crystalline rocks of SW Nigeria were reviewed to determine their failure characteristics. 100% success was claimed for 105 boreholes constructed by one driller. Out of 111 other borehole records supplied by three other drillers 35 were abortive, representing a failure rate of 32%. In contrast, 24 owners of 40 boreholes reported 24 failures representing a failure rate of 60%.The common causes of borehole failure in the crystalline rocks of SW Nigeria are seasonal variations in water level, improper casing of the overburden, damage to pumps and other system failures such as blocked pipelines and malfunctioning tanks. Non-penetration into the water bearing horizon also features as a cause of borehole failure in this study.It is suggested that proper construction, operation and maintenance of boreholes will reduce the incidence of borehole failures in crystalline rocks of SW Nigeria.     

Mathematical modelling of urban systems in Nigeria

Urban systems modelling in Nigeria is an innovation having both relevance and utility for urban analysts and urban planners. A review of urban modelling in Nigeria demonstrates the use of entrapy maximizing models in analysing impacts of government policies and metropolitan planning. Planning to solve urban problems in Nigeria must be based on unambigous understanding of the urban system. Models, as simplified versions of reality, constitute mechanisms for understanding city systems and for designing the city of the future.     

A comprehensive approach to drought and desertification in Northern Nigeria

Drought has been a recurring feature of the arid and semi-arid areas of Nigeria. This paper reviews the extent, severity, and consequences of drought and desertification in Nigeria with particular emphasis on the northern part of the country. The haphazard manner in which these environmental hazards have been tackled is examined and a systematic approach for the formulation of a national policy is proposed. It is recommended that a detailed formulation and implementation of the proposed policy plan is imperative to mitigate the often devastating impacts of drought and desertification in the very prone areas of Nigeria. Until such is done, some areas of Nigeria will always be vulnerable to the whims of an inevitable climatic hazard of drought and associated land degradation in the form of desertification.     

Investigating the spatial pattern of the characteristics of the onset and cessation of the rains in Nigeria

The characteristics of the onset and cessation of the rains investigated in this study are early, normal and late onset and cessation. The spatial pattern of these parameters were investigating for Nigeria using rainfall and potential evapotranspiration data analyzed for the period between 1959– 1990. Furthermore, 4 major rainfall producing mechanisms that could be responsible for the observed pattern of these parameters in Nigeria were also investigated using the stepwise multiple regression analysis. It was found that Inter-Tropical Discontinuity appeared as the most significant rainfall producing factor for predicting the spatial variation in the characteristics of the onset and cessation of the rains in Nigeria. This finding corroborates the zonal (north-south) pattern evident in the spatial distribution of the early, normal and late onset and cessation of the rains in the country. However, it was found that the combination of ITD and disturbance line together proved significant for explaining the spatial variation in the characteristics of the onset and cessation of the rains in Nigeria. Consequently, a south-northeast trend in the spatial pattern of each of early, normal and late onset and cessation of the rains is evident for the country. The combination of the 3 factors-ITD, disturbance line and relief were found to be significant for predicting the late onset and early cessation of the rains. However, the contribution due to relief factor is extremely low. It is observed that the occurrence of onset and cessation of the rains in Nigeria is generally erratic. The study showed further that the probability of the deviation of onset and cessation of the rains from normal is higher in the north than the southern part of the country. The significance of the observations of the study to selection of crops for cultivation and schedule of planting dates have been noted.     

The structure and pattern of rurality in Nigeria

The aim of this paper is to describe the rural structure of Nigeria on the basis of some indicators and internationally accepted methodology rather than just the population criterion that is presently used in the country. This is necessary because as is the case in most developing countries, this method of determining the rural structure does not make for comparison between countries. To achieve the aim, 14 indicators were selected from the 2006 Annual Abstract of Statistics and Factor Analysis employed to determine the structure, while the pattern was mapped by Arc View GIS 3.2a software. The factor analysis identified five underlying dimensions which explain 77.6% of the total variance that determine the structure of rurality in Nigeria. Based on the pattern of the factor loadings, five typologies of rural were identified. The research further shows that Nigeria is still dominantly rural. The implications of the findings and the need for concerted efforts on rural development in the country are highlighted.     

African debt and the debate on stabilisation: The case of Nigeria

Nigeria is an important test case of the socio-political effects of debt in Sub-Saharan Africa. First, its level of debt is greater than that of any other nation on the continent. Second, its oil wealth bought it a degree of influence in international relations as evidenced by the leading role played by Nigeria in negotiating the first Lomé Convention. It seems possible that Nigeria may also have a leading influence in determining the reaction of other African states to the debt crisis. Third, Nigeria has taken an ‘independent’ line in dealing with its debt obligations, preferring to keep the IMF at arm's length. Fourth, Nigeria has helped to pioneer the use of techniques such as countertrade and partial default in the management of its debt crisis. This paper surveys the politics of Nigerian debt with a view firstly to assessing what light it throws on the merits and demerits of the IMF medicine for indebtedness and, secondly, to determine whether or not it has produced any viable alternatives to this medicine.     

Weather hazards in Calabar — Nigeria

The major weather hazards in Calabar, a coastal town in Nigeria during both winter and summer hemispheres are discussed using meteorological data for 32 years (1951–1982). Results show that during the winter months of November to March, which are usually referred to as the dry season in Nigeria, frequency of occurrence of fog and harmattan dust haze is low. Summer patterns of precipitation are typical of the equatorial zone.Since 1980, poor visibility associated with fog and harmattan haze have become serious while high rates of erosion and flooding due to heavy rain are aggravated by human activities.     

An evaluation of the engineering properties of some Nigerian limestones as construction materials for highway pavements

Several hundred limestone samples representing eight different deposits within Nigeria have been evaluated and results indicate that some of the deposi highway pavement construction materials. The evaluation included tests on index properties, strength, chemical, petrographic and resistance-to-attritio

The suitability or adverse features of the eight limestone deposits have been evaluated and the various engineering characteristics are discussed. base recommendations are made for the use of selected limestones as pavement materials in Nigeria.     

Forecasting petroleum discoveries in sparsely drilled areas: Nigeria and the North Sea

Decline function methods for projecting future discoveries generally capture the crowding effects of wildcat wells on the discovery rate. However, these methods do not accommodate easily situations where exploration areas and horizons are expanding. In this paper, a method is presented that uses a mapping algorithm for separating these often countervailing influences. The method is applied to Nigeria and the North Sea. For an amount of future drilling equivalent to past drilling (825 wildcat wells), future discoveries (in resources found) for Nigeria are expected to decline by 68% per well but still amount to 8.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE). Similarly, for the total North Sea for an equivalent amount and mix among areas of past drilling (1322 wildcat wells), future discoveries are expected to amount to 17.9 billion BOE, whereas the average discovery rate per well is expected to decline by 71%.     

Environmental Constraints and Part-time Farming in Southeastern Nigeria

In southeastern Nigeria where population pressure is a problem of accelerating importance the agricultural land is in short supply thereby necessitating off-farm jobs to supplement farm income. There is therefore, a high incidence of part-time farming in the region. Analysis of the operational characteristics of thirty-six villages confirms that the intensity of part-time farming varies spatially according to the severity of environmental degradation resulting from population pressure. In addition, villages around urban/industrial centres participate actively in part-time farming since opportunities for off-farm employment are relatively higher. The situation in southeastern Nigeria is used to illustrate the prospects and problems of part-time farming in a developing economy. The implications of part-time farming on the agricultural economy and on rural development generally are examined. Policy measures are suggested that will direct the co-existence of part-time farming with work in the off-farm sector in order to achieve a beneficial and integrated rural development.     

Implications of palæo- and neotectonics in gully erosion-prone areas of southeastern Nigeria

Incidences of landsliding and gullying are prevalent in parts of southeastern Nigeria. It is proposed here that the apparent susceptibility of the geologic formations to landsliding and gullying may indeed derive substantially from the effects of palæo- and neotectonic features. Tertiary palæotectonics created regional cuestas, joints and faults that now determine the pace of gully erosion. Recent tectonics and seismic effects cause ground vibrations that initiate movement on the marginally stable slopes. It is observed that southeastern Nigeria has climatic and land-use characteristics which are very similar to those of southwestern Nigeria, as well as being underlain by similar Tertiary formations, yet gully erosion and landslides are much less common in the latter. This is ascribed to the differences in the palæotectonic setting. Recent case incidences of tectonics-related disasters are presented.     

Applications of aerial photography to population estimation in Nigeria

For effective planning purposes, reliable and up-to-date statistics on population is very important in any country. However, in Nigeria, population census is such an infrequent exercise that data on city population is not readily available. The inherent data delivery lag time period, between the physical collection and actual publication of the results of censuses contributes to the obsolescency of census data.This situation calls for the development of appropriate techniques of collecting up-to-date population data in Nigeria.The use of aerial photography for collecting certain types of census information has been suggested as a procedure that can successfully supplement existing techniques. Three models viz: (1) the Land Use Model (2) the House Counting Method and (3) the Land Area Method were developed and applied in the estimation of the 1973 population of Ilorin. It is being suggested here that these methods can be employed in making the much needed intercensal population estimation for planning purposes readily available. In addition, this approach is not as sensitive as census per se in Nigeria.     

Potential for rock-polishing enterprises in southwestern Nigeria

Various igneous and metamorphic rocks constitute the basement complex in much of southwestern Nigeria. They are composed of felsic to mafic constitutions, and textural characteristics are wide ranging. Based on petrographic and physical parameters, these rocks hold promise to be utilized for polished items. However, industrial exploitation may be constrained by a number of factors, in some cases by huge financial outlay, environmental pollution and insincerity from government agencies. A sustainable, viable project in ornament stones would demand further geological appraisals, technical facilities, adequate capital and relevant manpower. As in most developing countries, in Nigeria deposits of stones or high-grade geomaterials are commonly blasted indiscriminately, and especially in the southwest, thus there needs to be an awareness and concern for their conservation and environmental protection. Mining of rocks commonly results in environmental degradation; consequently, there is a need to design adequate monitoring and conservation strategies for effective exploitation.     

Correlation Between Physiomechanical Parameters and Geotechnical Evaluations of Some Sandstones Along the Calabar/Odukpani–Ikom–Ogoja Highway Transect,Southeastern Nigeria

Sandstones are present in enormous quantity in parts of south-eastern Nigeria. However, engineering data for project design and construction are unavailable for these sandstones, which serve as aggregates and foundation for many infrastructures. Besides, it is expensive and time consuming to perform direct tests in the field to generate these data. This work presents an engineering evaluation for some of sandstones based on relatively simple and cheap tests and relationship. The aim was to determine compressive strength, Young’s modulus, density, porosity and water absorption. These physio-mechanical parameters were then used to establish relationships. On the basis of these relationships, an evaluation scheme was developed. The parameters with good relations were used to develop predictive equations for estimating uniaxial compressive strength. Evaluation of sandstones from south-eastern Nigeria showed variations from not suitable to suitable as construction materials. Practically, field observations showed no adverse effects on buildings and roads where these sandstones have been used for construction as foundations and aggregates.     

Implications of wetlands degradation for water resources management: Lessons from Nigeria

Nigeria is a country richly endowed with both coastal and inland wetlands, which altogether cover about 3% of the country's land surface. These wetlands are of ecological, economic, socio-cultural, scientific and recreational significance. Nevertheless, Nigeria's wetland resources are currently being threatened by certain anthropogenic and biogeophysical factors. Notable among such factors are population pressure, rapid rate of urbanization, mining, oil and industrial waste pollution, uncontrolled tilling for crop production, over-grazing, logging, unprecedented land reclamation, construction of dams, transportation routes and other physical infrastructure, marine and coastal erosion, subsidence, ocean water intrusion, invasion by alien floral and faunal species, sand storm, desertification, and droughts. The alarming rate at which the country's wetlands are vanishing obviously portends some dire consequences. In particular, wetlands destruction is affecting water supply and water resources management in various parts of the country. Wetlands perform some vitally important hydrological functions in the country. For instance, apart from being quite instrumental to flood protection, wetlands equally maintain stream flow during the dry season in the semi-arid region of northern Nigeria. Importantly, they also help in regulating surface water quality and volume, as well as in replenishing and sustaining groundwater. There is no gainsaying, therefore, that the degradation of wetland ecosystems in Nigeria increases the task of water resources management in the country. Thus, the country's wetland resources need to be properly identified and mapped. Moreover, the right legislation and policy framework has to be put in place and enforced to safeguard the remaining wetlands from the ongoing wanton destruction. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.