The Black Sand Under Our Feet — Bayelsa’s Forgotten Gold
By Passman Akpos/ Tarakirivoice Editorial Team
For decades, the people of Bayelsa’s coastal communities have lived beside great wealth yet seen little to nothing from it. Crude oil flows beneath our land and waters, generating billions for others—yet our villages remain poor, abandoned, neglected, and unheard.
But what if… the next opportunity we have been waiting for has been right before our eyes all along?
What if the black sand in our rivers, creeks, and shorelines is not just “ordinary sand”—but a valuable material that the world is already looking for?
What if this same black sand can build roads, industries, energy, and steel, and that foreign companies are already seeking it?
And what if our people—unlike oil—can benefit directly from it?
🔍 What Exactly is This Black Sand?
Black sand found along Bayelsa’s coastal areas contains economically valuable minerals such as ilmenite, magnetite and other heavy metals which are used in:
✔ Steel production
✔ Manufacturing
✔ Electrical equipment
✔ Solar panels
✔ Welding and engineering
✔ Paints, pigments, and construction materials
In some countries, a single ton of processed black sand sells internationally for thousands of dollars.
🏝️ These Coastal Villages Are Sitting on Value:
The black sand stretches across Brass, Southern Ijaw, and Ekeremor coastal belts:
Okpoama
Sangana
Die-Ama
Ibidi
Ezetu 1 & 2
Koluama 1 & 2
Ekeni
Foropa
Agge
Aghoro
Asamabio
Amatu 1 & 2
… and many more.
These communities are not poor—they have simply not been informed.
💔 Why Are Foreigners Showing Interest Before Our Own People Understand It?
Because outsiders know the value.
They know what it is worth.
They know how to export it.
Meanwhile, the local people mining it do not even know how much it is sold for or how to access international buyers.
So outsiders reap profits, while the owners of the land get nothing but trouble.
🛑 The Government’s Sudden Alarm
Now, the government has invited community leaders to a meeting, because:
> “foreign collaboration with some local players” has begun.
This means foreign businessmen are not coming because they love the communities—they are coming because there is money to be made, and they want to take it before the communities wake up.
💡 What Should the Communities Do?
STEP 1 — Organize, Not Surrender
Form a cooperative society in each community:
Youth leadership
Women groups
Elders council
Technical committee
This creates local ownership and bargaining power.
STEP 2 — Seek Knowledge Before Selling
Bring in experts to:
Test the black sand
Determine mineral content
Estimate market value
Show safe mining practices
STEP 3 — Demand Transparent Agreements
If there is to be foreign collaboration:
The community must sign
The community must benefit
The community must manage the revenue
No secret deals.
No exploitation.
STEP 4 — Use the Wealth for Development
Revenue from sand should build:
Schools
Clinics
Clean water
Electricity
Solar power
Skill training for youths
💼 How Can Communities Connect to Foreign Buyers?
Practical Steps:
1. Register a cooperative society.
2. Get geological testing done by certified labs (Nigeria has many).
3. Create an official report of mineral composition.
4. Open business networking channels via:
International mining expos
Direct meetings with investors
Foreign companies are interested when:
Community ownership is legal
Mineral composition is certified
Supply quantity is recorded
The coastal communities can export legally through:
International partners
Mining cooperatives
Government-approved export licences
This time, the wealth can go directly into the pockets of coastal families—NOT into federal vaults.
⚠️ Why This Matters Now
The oil era is fading.Yet Bayelsans never got benefits when oil was at its peak.
We cannot repeat the same mistake with black sand.
This is not illegal mining. This is economic justice. This is community empowerment.
Ignoring this opportunity is like walking barefoot on treasure.
✊ A Message to Every Coastal Community
You are not poor.
You are not helpless.
You are not forgotten by nature.
You have resources the world wants.
The only thing missing is information.
Wake up.
Rise up.
Own what belongs to you.
For the first time, the opportunity is not underground where only government controls it.
It is right there on your shores.#Under your feet.
In your hands.
This time—let the people benefit.
This time—let the villages prosper.
Because black sand is not just sand… it is wealth.
Take a deep breath, Tarakirivoice wants to open your eyes!
🚀 STEP-BY-STEP ROADMAP FOR COASTAL COMMUNITIES
HOW TO ORGANIZE, TEST, VALUE, AND SELL BLACK SAND LEGALLY
1) FORM A COMMUNITY MINING COOPERATIVE
You cannot deal with foreign companies as “individuals.”
But as a registered community cooperative, you can.
Each village should form:
One cooperative society
Members: youth, women, elders, CDC, traditional council
Why?
✔ Gives legal backing
✔ Helps negotiate contracts
✔ Enables export licensing
✔ Avoids government harassment
2) CONDUCT A MATERIAL TEST (LAB ANALYSIS)
Foreign companies FIRST want to know:
👉 What minerals are inside the black sand?
To do that, you send a 1–2 kg sample to a certified Nigerian laboratory.
What the lab report will show:
Titanium %
Iron %
Ilmenite %
Magnetite %
Heavy metals %
Where to test (examples):
Nigerian Geological Survey (NGSA)
Verified private industrial labs
University geology departments (like Uniport, Uniuyo, UniBen, ABU)
The report is your passport to foreign business.
3) ESTIMATE MARKET VALUE
Once you get mineral results, you compare to world market pricing.
For example:
Ilmenite used for steel & titanium can attract $400–$1,200 per ton depending on purity.
Magnetite used in industry can fetch $100–$250 per ton.
Even if a village supplies 1,000 tons per month (small scale),
the community is talking about tens of millions of naira monthly.
And unlike oil, you control the flow.
4) IDENTIFY FOREIGN BUYERS
Once you have: ✓ Cooperative registered
✓ Lab test report
✓ Quantity estimate
Then you can approach:
Steel companies
Industrial minerals traders
Titanium processors
International mining firms
Commodity exporters
5) HOW TO CONNECT WITH INTERNATIONAL BUYERS
Here are safe, reliable ways:
✔ LinkedIn (best platform)
Search terms like:
“titanium buyer”, “ilmenite buyer”, “magnetite
supplier”,
“industrial minerals import/export.”
✔ Professional mining associations
Mineral Commodity Exchanges
African Mining Networks
✔ International trade exchanges
Alibaba (industrial raw materials)
Global Trade Hub
Direct trading platforms
✔ Global trade fairs (virtual and physical)
Mining Indaba (Africa’s biggest)
Dubai Mining Expo
China Industrial Mineral Fair
6) PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY – DON’T SIGN BLINDLY
Before signing any contract:
Ensure minimum pricing is clearly stated
Ensure royalties go to the community, not to individuals
Ensure youth are employed
Ensure 50% of revenue goes into community development
7) LEGAL EXPORT (Avoiding Problems)
To export legally:
Cooperative registers with CAC
Get export license via NEPC (Nigeria Export Promotion Council)
Open a cooperative bank account
No government can stop you when you are compliant.
8) USE PROFITS FOR COMMUNITY GROWTH
The revenue should fund:
Boreholes
Schools
Clinics
Fish processing centers
Market stalls
Solar electrification
This will end poverty in coastal communities.
9) UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTS
Government does NOT want foreigners illegally carting sand away. That is the real problem.
The government’s fear:
Foreigners exporting secretly
Community getting nothing
No taxes or regulation
Solution:
Let the community negotiate openly, transparently, legally.
10) MESSAGE OF EMPOWERMENT FOR THE PEOPLE
Coastal Bayelsans:
You were cheated in the oil era.
You should NOT be cheated again.
Black sand is the first natural resource you can control yourselves.
The first resource that can bring wealth directly to the villages — not Abuja.
You must act with:
Unity
Knowledge
Dignity
Strategy
(By Passman Akpos/ Tarakirivoice Editorial Team)
