The federal ministry of solid minerals development on Monday said it is aware of the excitement in the media about the discovery of Nickel, an important metallic mineral, 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, and we appeal to the general public to allow the Ministry to come up with detailed reports on the new find,” Mohammed Abbas, permanent secretary in the ministry said in a statement.
According to him, since the first discovery many months ago, technical experts from the ministry have been following up on this development as provided by law.
Nickel is extensively used for making stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant alloys, and tubing made ofcopper-nickel alloy is extensively used in making desalination plants for converting sea water into fresh water.
Nickel based alloys are also used for more demanding applications such as gas turbines and chemical plants.
Furthermore, Nickel-containing materials play a major role in food preparation equipment, mobile phones, medical equipment, transport, buildings, as well as power generation.
The materials are particularly selected because, as compared with other materials, they offer better corrosion resistance, better toughness, better strength at high and low temperatures, including a range of special magnetic and electronic properties.
Most important are alloys of iron, nickel and chromium, of which stainless steels are the largest volume.
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