Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Dele Alake, says sweeping reforms in the mining sector are beginning to yield tangible results, with significant enforcement actions and a new approach to artisanal mining aimed at boosting investor confidence and national revenue.
Speaking while receiving participants from Course 47 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Alake said the Tinubu administration has made decisive progress in sanitising the mining sector after decades of neglect and illegal activity.
Alake emphasised that the administration is not relying solely on enforcement but is also formalising the informal mining space through structured collaboration.
“In just one year, our mining marshals have arrested over 300 illegal miners, recovered nearly 100 illegal mining sites, and initiated 150 prosecutions, with nine convictions already secured. These are not statistics for applause; they are proof that we are serious about turning the tide.
“We have now formed over 250 artisanal cooperatives. This brings structure, oversight, and increased royalty flows into government coffers. Rather than crush artisanal miners, we are integrating them, ensuring they operate legally, safely, and profitably.”
The minister underscored that mindset change is at the heart of sustainable reform and called on NIPSS to play a key role in shaping national orientation.
“If the mental attitude is wrong, nothing else can be right. We’ve had countless development plans that failed at the point of implementation. That failure is not always technical, it is often attitudinal. That’s where NIPSS comes in, not just as a think tank, but as a movement for national reorientation.”
He also expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform agenda, saying it is tackling systemic failure at the roots.
“President Tinubu is not patching holes; he’s rebuilding the foundation. And I’m proud to be part of that journey. The mining sector, long underutilised, is now being positioned as a pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification.”
Nigeria holds over 44 mineral resources across 500 locations, yet the sector contributes less than 1% to GDP.
