Stakeholders seek removal of sector from exclusive list
Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, driven by the President Bola Tinubu administration’s new policy of local value addition and a tightened licensing regime, attracted over $800 million in processing projects last year, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has said.
 
He noted that the sector also generated over N38 billion in revenue in 2024, up from just N6 billion the previous year, despite receiving only 18 per cent of its N29 billion budgeted allocation.
 
The minister revealed this during a feature interview for an upcoming State House documentary marking the President’s second anniversary.
 
Alake said the sector has witnessed an increase in investor interest, buoyed by the administration’s mining sector reforms.
 
He listed the $600 million lithium processing plant near the Kaduna-Niger border to be commissioned this quarter, the $200 million lithium refinery on the outskirts of Abuja, nearing completion, and two additional processing plants in Nasarawa, slated for commissioning before Q3 2025.

MEANWHILE, stakeholders in the mining sector, at the weekend, advocated for the removal of the mineral resources from the Exclusive list to the Concurrent list in the 1999 Constitution, noting that such removal will present healthy synergy between the state, host community and investors. 
 
They made the call during a one-day international conference themed, “ Solid Minerals in Ebonyi State: The Government and the People,” held at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.
 
The international conference, a significant move towards enhancing the management and exploration of solid minerals in the state, was organised by the Ebonyi State Ministry of Solid Minerals in partnership with the Ebonyi State University and Ike Elechi Foundation, focusing on research, data management, and exploration of the state’s rich mineral resources.
 
They observed that since the licence for the sector is entirely in the hands of the Federal Government, it makes it very difficult for the state that owns the land to make a meaningful impact, adding that most of the investors don’t even live up to their social responsibility to their host communities. 
 
Declaring the conference open, Governor Francis Nwifuru noted that the state is blessed with numerous mineral deposits, but since mineral resources fall under the federal exclusive list, the Federal Government has a responsibility to compensate host communities impacted by mining activities.   
 
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Oguzu Offia Nwali, noted that the conference will foster dialogue between various stakeholders concerning the sustainable development of mineral resources in Ebonyi State, adding that his administration has created the enabling environment that will drive the sector.