On July 3, 2026, the National Assembly has called on the Federal Government to prioritize the solid minerals sector by fully releasing its appropriated capital budget. Lawmakers asserted that the industry holds the key to permanently shifting Nigeria away from an oil-dependent economy.
This mandate formed the core focus of the 2026 Ministerial Solid Minerals Retreat held in Abuja, themed “Accelerating Solid Minerals Sector Transformation: Delivering Our Ministerial Mandate to the Seven-Point Agenda.”
During the retreat, the outgoing Chairman of the House Committee on Solid Minerals, Hon. Jonathan Gaza, praised the Ministry’s aggressive reforms. He highlighted the optimization of the cadastral system, which successfully led to the revocation of 3,000 to 6,000 idle mining licenses. Furthermore, sector revenues and annual fees experienced a massive leap, skyrocketing from ₦8 billion to ₦70 billion.
Despite these milestones, Hon. Gaza warned that the executive arm must treat the sector with financial urgency to rival petroleum earnings.
“An official budget of one trillion was given to this sector. But the capital component—how much has been released? If this sector is given the finance it requires, if it does not overtake oil in terms of revenue generation, it will only be a small fraction of it,” Gaza argued.
Echoing these concerns, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Senator Sampson Ekang, insisted that the country can no longer delay meaningful budget implementation.
For too long, we’ve depended on oil. This is the time to go beyond oil. While also raising alarms over the devastating socioeconomic and environmental damage caused by unregulated operators. Citing a recent oversight tour to Ebonyi State, Senator Ekang lamented seeing entire communities submerged and displaced due to illegal mining and economic sabotage.
Senator Sampson Ekang.
Looking ahead, the Senate Chairman expressed optimism about growing inter-ministerial synergies, hinting at a partnership between the Ministry of Solid Minerals and the Ministry of Steel to revive the long dormant Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASCON), a move promised to trigger a “quantum leap” for Nigeria’s industrialization.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Faruk Yabo, noted that the retreat serves as a strategic leadership session to translate policies into concrete national deliverables. He credited the practical reforms articulated by the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake.
Mr. Yabo outlined the core pillars of the Ministry’s benchmarked Seven-Point Agenda:
Establishment of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation (NSMC) as a unique national development vehicle.
Strategic joint-venture partnerships with reputable global mining multinationals.
Comprehensive geoscience data acquisition across the federation.
Formalization of small-scale and illegal miners into artisanal cooperatives.
Restoration of security and order through the newly constituted Mine Surveillance Task Force and Mine Marshals.
Overhauling the Mining Cadastral System for enhanced transparency.
Establishment of specialized Mineral Processing Zones focused on downstream value addition.
Opening the retreat, the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Abah Mohammed, emphasized that the Ministry is under intense national scrutiny to deliver tangible economic diversification under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The solid mineral sector holds immense potential to diversify our economy, create jobs, generate revenue, and drive industrialization. This retreat is our opportunity to reposition ourselves as a high-performing ministry.
Abah Mohammed.
The strategic session brought together top ministry officials, executive delivery officers, and parliamentary leaders to review performance frameworks and chart a clear roadmap for the sector’s future.
