Nigeria’s solid minerals sector is gearing up for a bold transformation as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda gains momentum with key players vowing to break old habits and reposition mining as the bedrock of the country’s economic diversification.
At a high-level Ministerial Retreat themed “Enhancing Performance, Strengthening Accountability, and Fostering Innovation in the Solid Minerals Sector,” held Friday in Abuja, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Henry Alake, declared that the days of lip service are over.
“This retreat is taking place at an auspicious moment a moment of collective joy and renewed purpose,” Dr. Alake told participants at the Wells Carlton Hotel, Asokoro. “Our Ministry was recently named Best Ministry in Service Excellence during Civil Service Week. But this is more than an award it is a challenge to do more. On excellence, we must neither fail nor falter.”
Dr. Alake listed sweeping reforms already underway to reposition the sector: the creation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Company a public-private investment vehicle to unlock billions in foreign capital; a historic ₦1 trillion exploration budget to bridge Nigeria’s mineral data gap; and the launch of the Mining Marshals, a dedicated 2,350-member task force cracking down on illegal mining.
“In 2023, we generated ₦6 billion from mining licences. By 2024, it rose to ₦12.58 billion. Royalties doubled to ₦36.8 billion. We have formalised over 300 artisanal cooperatives to drive legal mining. These figures prove that commitment delivers results,” Alake said.
He urged the Ministry’s senior officials to seize the moment: “The global energy transition is redrawing mining value chains. Nigeria must not be left behind. The era of business as usual is over our charge is clear: deliver results for the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
As Dr. Alake concluded, “We are building the future, not just managing the present. Our children and their children must see the results of our Renewed Hope.”
The sector’s push got firm legislative backing from the Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, Senator Ekong Sampson, who pledged to work hand-in-hand with the Ministry to unlock Nigeria’s underground wealth.
“I commend our Minister for convening this timely retreat,” Senator Sampson said. “It sets the tone for the next phase of collaboration. From gold to lithium, bitumen to coal our minerals hold the key to diversifying our economy, creating jobs, and earning the foreign exchange we need. We are ready to provide the legislative framework to make it happen.”
Chairman, House Committee on Solid Minerals Development, Honourable Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi, underscored the game-changing potential of recent reforms.
“In less than two years, we moved from $6 billion to $38 billion in revenue, and attracted over $800 billion in foreign direct investment,” Gbefwi noted. “The Nigerian Solid Minerals Development Company is a masterstroke this is our chance to replicate Norway’s oil success story, but with minerals. We must build resilient institutions that serve our communities for generations.”
Permanent Secretary, Engr. Yabo Faruk Yusuf, credited teamwork and dedication for the Ministry’s Service Excellence award, calling the recognition a springboard for deeper reforms.
“This award shows what we can achieve when we put our shoulders to the wheel,” Engr. Yusuf said. “Our job now is to turn this momentum into measurable results for the Nigerian people.”
Also speaking, Director-General of the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office, Engr. Obadiah Simon Nkom, described the retreat as a moment of rebirth for the entire sector.
“‘Retreat’ means we want to make things better,” Nkom said to resounding applause. “Apart from the wealth beneath our feet, we our capacity are the real wealth. By the time we leave here, we must be recharged and ready to deliver a sector that attracts investors and transforms communities.”
