No threat, blackmail will derail mining reforms — Alake

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake has reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government to on-going reforms declaring that no amount of threats or blackmail will derail the transformative agenda already yielding results.

Speaking at a media briefing over the weekend for the 10th Nigeria Mining week commencing on Monday, Alake asserted that reforms are yielding fruits as various indices including that of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) are pointers to this fact.

“About 10 years ago, the contribution of mining to our nation’s GDP was less than 0.5% but today it has increased to 1.8% with figures from the NBS indicating an unprecedented 4.61% in Q2, 2025. In practical terms, this means more mines in operation, more companies investing and more communities being impacted by mining activity”, he added.

Reflecting on the evolution of the sector, the Minister said the Nigeria Mining Week has mirrored the industry’s shift from informality to a structured, innovation-driven, and investor-attractive environment. He highlighted reforms focused on transparency, investment risk mitigation, and value chain optimization.

Revealing that efforts to strengthen regulatory frameworks have faced backlash including threats to his life, Alake reiterated his unflinching resolve to follow through, declaring that no amount of intimidation, sponsored articles by unpatriotic hack writers or campaign of calumny can deter the vision of repositioning the mining sector.

His words, “The mining sector was hitherto an all-comers affair where operators got away with flagrant abuse of regulations. When we came in, we made efforts to correct this anomaly and those affected have been employing all forms of tactics, including threats and blackmail to force us to reverse course. I want to assure Nigerians that our resolve is unflinching. We are going ahead to enforce strictly all regulations, no matter whose ox is gored.”

The minister cited the revocation of mining licenses, reiterating that it is an on-going process, emphasizing that the era in which people defaulted in payment of annual service fees or held in licenses for over 10 years without using it or commencing any form of operation is gone with the wind. He asserted that the “Use it or Lose it” clause in the mining act will be strictly enforced to pave way for serious investors to develop the mining sector.

“Our desire for a very conducive operating environment should not indulge those who are in constant default of the regulations. We won’t tolerate that. I have had to triple my personal security following threats received from some of those whose licenses were revoked but I am undaunted. Our confidence is hinged on the fact that we are waging the battle based on principle, for the sake of our country,” Alake added

He hinted at the establishment of a new pre-shipment agency for solid minerals, affirming that the installation of satellite surveillance of mining sites is also underway alongside plans to double the personnel of the mining marshals. This is aimed at ensuring that the mobile squad has active presence in all local governments in the country and fully equipped to curtail illegal mining.

The minister urged all stakeholders, industry players and investors to join in making the mining week a resounding success asserting that it promises to be a platform for networking, consolidating on progress made, attracting responsible investments and ensuring that the mining sector contributes substantially to Nigeria’s industrialisation.

In his remarks, President of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Dele Ayanleke urged government to continue to strengthen policy implementation whilst urging investors to take advantage of the mining week to harness the opportunities Nigeria offers. He lauded the minister for his yeoman’s efforts in advancing the mining sector, expressing the support of the association for on-going reforms.

The 10th Nigerian Mining Week themed, “Nigerian Mining: From Progress to Global Relevance” is organized by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD) in partnership with the Miners Association of Nigeria, Vuka Group, PwC amongst others. It is billed to hold from the 13th to 15th October 2025 at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

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