Different sources including the former governor Sam Egwu confirmed that there is a large deposit of crude oil in Ebonyi state, but it has not gotten the attention of the NNPC. Specifically, crude oil can be found in Edda in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Where can crude oil be found in Ebonyi State?
There is a report that there was Edda oil field which was abandoned several years before the Federal Government moved to Oloibiri in present-day Bayelsa State, thereby making Oloibiri the first oil well location in Nigeria.
The nonchalantness of Nigeria-owned corporation NNPC spurred the former governor of the state Sam Egwu to declare on December 9, 2000, that Ebonyi should be included in the list of states that enjoy derivation revenue because Ebonyi is an oil-producing state in Nigeria. Unfortunately, NNPC has to confirm the discovery of oil in a state before it can qualify for derivation revenue.
So, technically Ebonyi has crude oil. Officially, it is not an oil-producing state because of the failure of NNPC to fully explore crude oil deposits in the state.
So,…
What are the solid mineral resources in Ebonyi State?
Ebonyi state isn’t called the “Salt of the nation” for fun, the state is abundantly blessed in salt and mineral resources including limestone, granite, marble, and sulfur among others.
It was believed that the state could earn more from its solid mineral resources than other sectors which spurred the administration of former governor David Umahi to establish the ministry of solid mineral on July 1, 2015.
Solid mineral resources in Ebonyi and where they can be found:
Lead-zinc:
Large deposits of lead-zinc are in Ameri areas, Ameka, Ishiagu, and Enyingba.
Salt:
Salt can be found in almost every local government area of Ebonyi, however, commercial quantities of salt are located in Ohaozara, Abakaliki, Uburu Salt lakes in Uburu, Okposi, and Ikwo.
Limestone:
Parts of Ebonyi where limestone is found include Ikwo, Nkalagu, Azuinyaba (Ishielu LGA), Ngbo and Effium (Ohaukwu LGA)
Granite:
This can be found in Ishiagu and Otam
- Natural gas
- Kaolin
- Barytes
- Marble
- Bentonite
- Quartz
- Sulphur