By Gabriel Ewepu

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has declared that no amount of threat to his life or blackmail will make him and his team succumb, as the reforms and transformation agenda remain on course and are yielding results in the sector.

According to a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, Alake made the declaration at a media briefing ahead of the 10th Nigeria Mining Week set to kick off Monday in Abuja.

The theme of the 10th Nigerian Mining Week, ‘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 (MAN, Vuka Group, PwC, and others. It is billed to hold from the 13th to 15th October, 2025 at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

Meanwhile, the Minister maintained that reforms his leadership had put in place are yielding fruits as various indices including that of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, are pointers to this fact, which Tomori quoted the Minister as saying, “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.”

Meanwhile, the Minister reflected on the evolution of the sector and appraised the Nigeria Mining Week, stating that it 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.

According to the statement, the Minister disclosed 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 various 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 ongoing process, emphasizing that the era in which people defaulted in payment of annual service fees or held licenses for over 10 years without using it or commencing any form of operation is gone with the wind.

Meanwhile, he (Alake) maintained that the ‘Use it or Lose it’ clause in the Mining Act remains and will be strictly enforced to pave the way for serious investors to develop the Nigerian 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”, he added.

However, the Minister hinted that a new pre-shipment agency for solid minerals will be established.

He also reassured that the installation of satellite surveillance at mining sites is underway, alongside plans to double the number of mining marshals. This will ensure the mobile squad has an active presence in all 774 Local Government Areas in the country and is 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 industrialization.

In his remarks, the President of the Miners Association of Nigeria, MAN, Dele Ayanleke, urged the government to continue strengthening policy implementation while encouraging investors to take advantage of the Mining Week to harness the opportunities Nigeria offers.

Ayanleke also commended the Minister for his yeoman’s efforts in advancing the mining sector, expressing the support of the association for ongoing reforms.

Vanguard News