SEC S15W5: "My Country and Her Mineral Resources."

INTRODUCTION
It's critical to recognize that Nigeria have surplus natural gas, coal, oil, and mineral resources, among many other resources. These resources, which are allocated throughout the country, have had a major influence on the growth and economics of the nation.

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Give us a brief introduction about your country

The history of my country Nigeria is interesting and complex at the same time. Nigeria is located in West Part of Africa. It is the home of different racial groups including the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba as the major group s Nigeria is known to be the major oil producer and it has one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. As long as no country is 100% better we face challenges every day in different forms some of which include poverty which is a normal challenge for most countries, corruption and violence are parts of the challenges we face every day and until the right thing is done, it will not end.

Nigeria is well known for being a vibrant, diverse nation with a rich cultural record. I would contend that Nigeria, my own country, has a rich cultural lineage, which contributes greatly to the assortment of the various ethnic groups that include the country. Have you heard of the those that belong to the Yoruba part of the nation, who mostly live in the Southwest? They have a long tradition of storytelling, music, art, and—above all—Owabe (Excess party)

The northern Hausa people of the nation are well known for their commerce and hospitality practices. The Southeast which invloves the Igbo people and they are well known for their strong sense of community and sense of entrepreneurship. There are several distinct racial groups with unique qualities in Nigeria. I hope you get to visit Nigeria sometime; it's a really interesting country to explore.

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is/are the mineral resources your country is blessed with

Nigeria has a surplus of mineral resources, including tin, coal, iron ore, natural gas, and limestone. Mineral resources are of the greatest importance in the nation. It is known that they're important to the nation's economy. Nigeria is reputed to be the tenth-biggest oil producer globally and the greatest in all of Africa. This is an important achievement as we now know to celebrate every victory, no matter how little. The nation receives a great deal of wealth and revenue from the oil and gas industry, yet it never holds its inhabitants accountable.

The coal is found in Enugu where my dad worked till his retirement and death. I was still very small at the point my dad was still working there, I remember his colleagues who were working with him there because they all came for his burial. With the mineral resources in Nigeria, it has been able to provide job opportunities for its citizens.
Iron ore is found in Kogi state.
The tin is mined in large quantities in the Jos plateau.
The limestone is found in the central and northern parts of the country.

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Has this mineral resources been fully harnessed?

Nigeria has a surplus of mineral resources, although they are not yet entirely utilized. The lack of technology and infrastructure needed to develop the mining enterprise is one of the problems. The problem of illicit mining, which has resulted in environmental damage and loss of the nation's revenue, is another obstacle preventing the mineral resources from being used. For instance, in the Niger Delta where oil are be stolen. while significant improvements have been made in the mining industry, more work needs to be done to properly use the nation's mineral resources to the benefit of its citizens.

One thing that needs to be done to harness Nigeria's mineral resources is to improve the legal team for mining. The country's mining laws are outdated and need to be updated to attract foreign investment and encourage endurable mining practices. There is need to place more focus in training the local work team so that they can partake in the mining enterprise and benefit from the country's raw resources. There is need to contribute to infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and ports, to transport the minerals and make them accessible to the international market.

Infrastructures such as good roads are the major bankruptcies the country is having. A country where you see big trucks falling now and then is not where minerals such as oil and gas will be made accessible to the global market. The Government can do better and with the changes we all crave, there will be more jobs for youths.

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Has the proceeds from these resources been used properly by your government for the welfare of her citizens...support your answer (Yes/No) with good points

My answer is NO and here are my reasons.

The Nigerian government has not always used the proceeds from the country's natural resources in the best way possible. Which I know. There have also been many cases of mismanagement and deterioration, with funds being diverted to private accounts instead of being used for development projects. The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer because the fund that is meant for the general public to use and create more job opportunities has been diverted to buying private jets, houses and cars worth millions of naira. The oil-producing regions of the country have not seen the benefits of the oil wealth. So, overall, I would say that the answer is "No.

I would also say that one of the major problems with how the proceeds from natural resources are used in Nigeria is the lack of transparency. They lack the transparency to handle such big firms as the oil and gas company. The public does not have access to information about how the money is being spent, every year the citizens are supposed the know how far the progress is and not wake up every day to increase the price of fuel. There is often little accountability for how the funds are used. This lack of transparency is why corruptions flourish and makes it difficult to track how the money is being used and whether it is benefiting the people of Nigeria.

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I'm inviting @ngoenyi, @saintkelvin17 and @emmy01 to participate in this contest.