Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake has declared that the Tinubu administration’s ongoing reforms would overcome decades of corruption, weak institutions, and underdevelopment, describing previous administrations as having lacked the political will to implement the difficult changes necessary to reposition Nigeria’s economy for long-term competitiveness.
Speaking at the inaugural Solid Minerals Excellence Awards in Abuja, Alake drew a parallel with Lagos State’s transformation under similar reform pressures, arguing that policies which initially faced resistance ultimately built the state into one of Africa’s largest economies through improved revenue, institutional efficiency, and strategic planning. He said the current economic hardship represented a painful but necessary transition to a stronger and more sustainable national economy.
On the mining sector, Alake said the ministry had identified mining as a key pillar of economic diversification and had embarked on comprehensive reforms targeting illegal mining, insecurity, weak regulation, dormant licenses, and opacity in the sector. The digitization of mining operations and licensing had improved transparency, simplified access, and attracted thousands of new investors and operators.
He said the government was encouraging local processing of minerals to stimulate industrial growth, create jobs, improve technology transfer, and increase the sector’s GDP contribution, noting that Africa’s mineral resources had historically been exploited for foreign economic benefit since the colonial era. More than 2,000 trained Mining Marshals had been deployed to combat illegal mining and protect communities, with several arrests and prosecutions already recorded.
