Abuja – The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has appealed to Nigerians to be patient and allow it to come up with detailed report on the discovery of Nickel in Kaduna State. This is contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Mohammed Abbas in Abuja. Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile. According to the statement, since the first discovery many months ago, technical experts from the ministry have been following up on the development as provided by law.
“The ministry is aware of the excitement in the media about the discovery of Nickel in parts of Kaduna state. “This is totally understandable considering the partial assay of the mineral assets referenced. “The ministry is aware of the occurrence of the mineral in the area. “We appeal to the general public to allow the Ministry to come up with detailed reports on the new find,” it said. A private mining firm discovered the “world class and highly unusual” Nickel. The private mining syndicate is reportedly headed by Hugh Morgan, a mining industry veteran. “The discovery is unusual because the nickel is found in small balls up to 3mm in diameter of a high purity in shallow soils in what could be the surface expression of a much bigger hard-rock nickel field,” the newspaper said. “The nickel balls, rumoured to grade better than 90 per cent nickel and thought to be a world first given their widespread distribution, offer the potential for early cashflow from a simple and low-cost screening operation to fund a full assessment of the find that has exploration circles buzzing.”
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