Nigeria set to commence exploration/mining of Uranium in Mika area of Yorro Local Government Area of Taraba State, according to the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).
NNRA disclosed this in an internal memo, a copy of which was sighted by News Band on Monday.
What is Uranium?
Uranium is a radioactive element with symbol “U” and atomic number 92 that is essential for the production of nuclear energy with a variety of other industrial and medical applications.
The substance, a silvery-gray metal in the actinide series, has been discovered in several locations across the country, but was not being mined until the recent directive.
It is naturally radioactive and is classified as a carcinogen with harmful effects on the environment and human health if it is not handled properly.
It is used as a fuel in nuclear power plants, where it is used to generate electricity through the process of nuclear fission, as well as in the military for production of weapons.
Its isotopes have many contemporary uses, including nuclear energy and weapons production.
Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring fissile isotope, while uranium-238 and uranium-233 can be transmuted into fissile material and can be used in kinetic energy penetrators and armor plating, as well as a colorant in glass.
A naturally occurring element, it is not man-made and can be mined and extracted from the earth, refined and processed for use in a variety of applications.
It has been found in several locations in Nigeria, including the states of Taraba, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Gombe, Imo, Kano, and Sokoto.
However, it is not currently being mined in Nigeria as there are no known commercial deposits of uranium in the country, and there are no uranium mines in operation.
Also, lack of infrastructure and regulatory frameworks in place to support Uranium mining industry in Nigeria has also been a barrier to the development of this industry.
Extraction and processing of Uranium can result in the release of radioactive substances into the environment, which can be harmful to human health if not properly managed.
Therefore, it is important that developing Uranium mining industry in Nigeria, hence, appropriate safeguards to protect the environment and the health of workers and communities must be considered and implemented.
The most common isotopes found in natural uranium are uranium-238 and uranium-235 and has the second highest atomic weight of the naturally occurring elements.
It is denser than lead, but less dense than gold or tungsten and can be found naturally in small concentrations in soil, rock, and water and is commercially extracted from uranium-bearing minerals such as uraninite.
NNRA created a draft regulation for the exploration, mining, and processing of uranium in Nigeria, which regulation has been reviewed at the Ministry of Justice.
The above regulation shall be in addition to: Nigeria Basic Ionizing Radiation Regulations, 2003 (NiBIRR); Nigerian Radioactive Waste Management Regulations, 2006; Nigerian Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) Regulations, 2008; and any other existing ionizing radiation and nuclear regulations as well as any transport regulations in force at the commencement of these regulations.
According to the World Nuclear Association, uranium has been identified in more than 20 countries and is currently being mined in around a dozen countries.
The following Table gives some ideas of our present knowledge of uranium resources.
It can be seen that Australia has a substantial part (about 29 percent) of the world’s uranium, Kazakhstan 12 percent, Russia nine percent and Canada eight percent.
Some known recoverable resources of Uranium 2013 include:
| Serial Number | Country | Tonnes of Uranium | World percentage |
| 1 | Australia | 1,706,100 | 29% |
| 2 | Kazakhstan | 679,300 | 12% |
| 3 | Russian Federation | 505,900 | 9% |
| 4 | Canada | 493,900 | 8% |
| 5 | Niger Republic | 404,900 | 7% |
| 6 | Namibia | 382,800 | 6% |
| 7 | South Africa | 338,100 | 6% |
| 8 | Brazil | 276,100 | 5% |
| 9 | United States of America | 207,400 | 4% |
| 10 | China | 199,100 | 4% |
| 11 | Mongolia | 141,500 | 2% |
| 12 | Ukraine | 117,700 | 2% |
| 13 | Uzbekistan | 91,300 | 2% |
| 14 | Botswana | 68,800 | 1% |
| 15 | Tanzania | 58,500 | 1% |
| 16 | Jordan | 33,800 | 1% |
| 17 | Other | 191,500 | 3% |
| Total | World | 5,902,500 |
It is worth noting that while many countries have Uranium deposits, not all of them choose to mine and process it, resulting in some countries importing from other countries to meet their energy needs.
According to some basic information supplied by Christabel Ekeocha of the Department of Radiological Safety:
- Uranium is a relatively common metal, found in rocks and seawater. Economic concentrations of it are not uncommon.
- Its availability to supply world energy needs is great both geologically and because of the technology for its use.
- Quantities of mineral resources are greater than commonly perceived.
- The world’s known Uranium resources increased by at least one-quarter in the last decade due to increased mineral exploration.
- Uranium is a relatively common element in the crust of the Earth (very much more than in the mantle). It is a metal approximately as common as tin or zinc, and it is a constituent of most rocks and even of the sea.
Some typical concentrations are:
(ppm = parts per million).
- Very high-grade ore (Canada) – 20% U 200,000 ppm U
- High-grade ore – 2% U, 20,000 ppm U
- Low-grade ore – 0.1% U, 1,000 ppm U
- Very low-grade ore* (Namibia) – 0.01% U 100 ppm U
- Granite 3-5 ppm U
- Sedimentary rock 2-3 ppm U
- Earth’s continental crust (av) 2.8 ppm U
- Seawater 0.003 ppm
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