Exploring the resource control option – Plateau State, by Futureview CEO, Elizabeth Ebi
Futureview Group, CEO, Mrs. Elizabeth Ebi announces a new Futureview Research initiative on Resource Control in Nigeria. Futureview will look to examine all 36 states in Nigeria and both tapped and untapped opportunities in their natural resource usage. Futureview is a leading investment bank in Nigeria.
Plateau State (capital, Jos) is the twelfth largest state in Nigeria by area size, occupying a surface area of 26,899 square kilometers, the State has an estimated population of about 3,178,712 (according to the 2006 population census) people and gets its name from the beautiful Jos Plateau. Located in Nigeria’s middle belt, to its North, are Kaduna and Bauchi States while Benue State is at its Southern border. It is flanked in the east by Taraba State and in the west by Nassarawa State.
The unique physical features of Plateau State (Home of Peace and Tourism) are its high relief; a combination of a mountainous area with captivating rock formations, punctuated by deep gorges, lakes, bare rocks, rivers, waterfalls that define its grass lands especially in the north, and its geological history.
The high relief, or more appropriately, the Jos Plateau, provides a hydrological centre for many rivers in northern Nigeria and confers on the northern part of the state a cool climate suitable for livestock rearing and growing of exotic crops. The process of formation of its high relief makes Plateau State one of the States in the country with rich mineral resources.
It has a temperate climate on the Jos Plateau and a hot and humid climate on its lower parts. Generally, weather conditions are warmer during the rainy season (April – October) and much colder during the harmattan period (December – February).
Harnessing the Resources of the Jos Plateau for Sustainable Development
Plateau State boasts of abundant agricultural and mineral resources, the soil and climatic conditions of
the Jos Plateau favour the production of exotic crops like Irish potatoes, apples, grapes, wheat, barley and vegetables. The region produces about 200,000 tons of Irish potatoes annually. These crops are grown throughout the year, irrigated during the dry season.
The State has an estimated cattle population of 1.07 million in the hands of the Fulani nomads. A little
less than half of these cattle, graze permanently on the cool tsetse-fly free Jos Plateau, while the remainder spend the dry season on the rangelands of Benue plains and move up to the Plateau in the wet season.
Plateau State is endowed with rich deposits of a variety of industrial minerals of high quality. Tin and columbite have been mined on the Jos Plateau since 1902. Although production has declined, due to a
drastic fall in demand, this area was once the world’s leading producer of tin with an annual output of
17,000 tons in the peak war period of 1941-45. Other minerals found in Plateau State in commercial
quantities are barytes, kaolin, zircon, monazite, marble, limestone, sphalerite, quartz, galena, glass sand, clay and gemstones.
Fish farming has gradually become a major economic activity in the State. A modern hatchery with a
capacity to produce two million fingerlings of tilapia, carp and mudfish for sale to farmers has been
established, as well as pond fisheries consultancy service unit to stimulate private investment in fish
farming to boost the industry.
In terms of government revenue, the Plateau State Government collected about N31.07 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) between 2007 and 2013 and currently hit the target of generating N1 billion monthly from December 2013, figures from the State Revenue Service shows.
Plateau State is known as “The Home of Peace and Tourism” and there is plenty to see, ranging from the Wildlife Safari Park which is about 4 km (2 mi) from Jos, and offers a wide variety of wild animals:
buffalos, lions, leopards, baboons, monkeys, derby elands, pythons, crocodiles, chimpanzees, jackals
and the rare pygmy hippopotamus, which is being successfully bred in the ‘hippo pool’. Other notable
tourist destinations in the State are; The National Museum in Jos, The Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture, Assop Falls, Wase Rock, The Kerang highlands, The Shere Hills Riyom Rock, Pandam Game Reserve, Kahwang Rock, etc.
The deadly cycle of ethnic and religious conflicts in the State have however affected the fortunes of
tourism in the State. Plateau State of Nigeria has been in the news since the first major ethno-religious
conflict of 7th September, 2001 in which over 2000 lives were lost and property worth millions of naira were destroyed. The conflicts kept recurring sporadically in different parts of the State and has had enormous negative consequences on the tourism potentials of the State and the general economy, The casual observations on the trends in these areas demonstrate very negative consequences, especially for the fragile tourism sector.
It is general knowledge that the revenue profile of the “Tin City” will receive significant boost should the environment be made more conducive for private investors to harness the rich agricultural and mineral development potentials of the State. Though many industries have started to take advantage of the abundant raw materials in the State, including Makeri Smelting Company, Kaolin industry in Barakin Ladi, Gold and Base, Exiands and Kaduna Prospectus and other agro-based types utilising local agricultural materials such as NASCO Foods, NASCO Packs, Jos International Breweries, Northern Nigeria Fibre Products and Grand Cereal and Oil Mills Limited, the government can do more to attract local and foreign investors to the State.
REFERENCES
– Abubakar Sokoto Mohammed (The Impact of Conflict on the Economy: The Case of Plateau State of Nigeria)
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/exploring-resource-control-option-plateau-state-futureview-ceo-elizabeth-ebi/#sthash.SUgVNjTI.dpuf
Plateau State (capital, Jos) is the twelfth largest state in Nigeria by area size, occupying a surface area of 26,899 square kilometers, the State has an estimated population of about 3,178,712 (according to the 2006 population census) people and gets its name from the beautiful Jos Plateau. Located in Nigeria’s middle belt, to its North, are Kaduna and Bauchi States while Benue State is at its Southern border. It is flanked in the east by Taraba State and in the west by Nassarawa State.
The unique physical features of Plateau State (Home of Peace and Tourism) are its high relief; a combination of a mountainous area with captivating rock formations, punctuated by deep gorges, lakes, bare rocks, rivers, waterfalls that define its grass lands especially in the north, and its geological history.
The high relief, or more appropriately, the Jos Plateau, provides a hydrological centre for many rivers in northern Nigeria and confers on the northern part of the state a cool climate suitable for livestock rearing and growing of exotic crops. The process of formation of its high relief makes Plateau State one of the States in the country with rich mineral resources.
It has a temperate climate on the Jos Plateau and a hot and humid climate on its lower parts. Generally, weather conditions are warmer during the rainy season (April – October) and much colder during the harmattan period (December – February).
Harnessing the Resources of the Jos Plateau for Sustainable Development
Plateau State boasts of abundant agricultural and mineral resources, the soil and climatic conditions of
the Jos Plateau favour the production of exotic crops like Irish potatoes, apples, grapes, wheat, barley and vegetables. The region produces about 200,000 tons of Irish potatoes annually. These crops are grown throughout the year, irrigated during the dry season.
The State has an estimated cattle population of 1.07 million in the hands of the Fulani nomads. A little
less than half of these cattle, graze permanently on the cool tsetse-fly free Jos Plateau, while the remainder spend the dry season on the rangelands of Benue plains and move up to the Plateau in the wet season.
Plateau State is endowed with rich deposits of a variety of industrial minerals of high quality. Tin and columbite have been mined on the Jos Plateau since 1902. Although production has declined, due to a
drastic fall in demand, this area was once the world’s leading producer of tin with an annual output of
17,000 tons in the peak war period of 1941-45. Other minerals found in Plateau State in commercial
quantities are barytes, kaolin, zircon, monazite, marble, limestone, sphalerite, quartz, galena, glass sand, clay and gemstones.
Fish farming has gradually become a major economic activity in the State. A modern hatchery with a
capacity to produce two million fingerlings of tilapia, carp and mudfish for sale to farmers has been
established, as well as pond fisheries consultancy service unit to stimulate private investment in fish
farming to boost the industry.
In terms of government revenue, the Plateau State Government collected about N31.07 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) between 2007 and 2013 and currently hit the target of generating N1 billion monthly from December 2013, figures from the State Revenue Service shows.
Plateau State is known as “The Home of Peace and Tourism” and there is plenty to see, ranging from the Wildlife Safari Park which is about 4 km (2 mi) from Jos, and offers a wide variety of wild animals:
buffalos, lions, leopards, baboons, monkeys, derby elands, pythons, crocodiles, chimpanzees, jackals
and the rare pygmy hippopotamus, which is being successfully bred in the ‘hippo pool’. Other notable
tourist destinations in the State are; The National Museum in Jos, The Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture, Assop Falls, Wase Rock, The Kerang highlands, The Shere Hills Riyom Rock, Pandam Game Reserve, Kahwang Rock, etc.
The deadly cycle of ethnic and religious conflicts in the State have however affected the fortunes of
tourism in the State. Plateau State of Nigeria has been in the news since the first major ethno-religious
conflict of 7th September, 2001 in which over 2000 lives were lost and property worth millions of naira were destroyed. The conflicts kept recurring sporadically in different parts of the State and has had enormous negative consequences on the tourism potentials of the State and the general economy, The casual observations on the trends in these areas demonstrate very negative consequences, especially for the fragile tourism sector.
It is general knowledge that the revenue profile of the “Tin City” will receive significant boost should the environment be made more conducive for private investors to harness the rich agricultural and mineral development potentials of the State. Though many industries have started to take advantage of the abundant raw materials in the State, including Makeri Smelting Company, Kaolin industry in Barakin Ladi, Gold and Base, Exiands and Kaduna Prospectus and other agro-based types utilising local agricultural materials such as NASCO Foods, NASCO Packs, Jos International Breweries, Northern Nigeria Fibre Products and Grand Cereal and Oil Mills Limited, the government can do more to attract local and foreign investors to the State.
REFERENCES
– Abubakar Sokoto Mohammed (The Impact of Conflict on the Economy: The Case of Plateau State of Nigeria)
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/exploring-resource-control-option-plateau-state-futureview-ceo-elizabeth-ebi/#sthash.SUgVNjTI.dpuf
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