Dr. Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, revealed that he has received death threats and threats of international arbitration from some mining operators whose licenses were recently revoked.
The Minister said these individuals have also been sponsoring media attacks against the ongoing reforms in the sector.
These threats and attacks followed the Ministry’s recent decision to revoke 1,263 mineral licenses due to the non-payment of annual fees.
Alake made the disclosure at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, ahead of the 10th edition of Nigeria’s Mining Week.
The event, themed “Nigeria Mining: From Progress to Global Relevance,” is scheduled to run from October 13 to October 15 and is organized by the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the VUKA Group.
Despite the pushback, the Minister affirmed that he remains undeterred.
He stressed that sanitizing the sector is necessary and that resistance from some quarters is a natural consequence of such actions.
He reiterated that the license revocations were essential to ensure Nigeria obtains commensurate revenue from the solid minerals sector for national development.
“Some people have had licenses since former President Olusegun Obasanjo regime, but have not used it ,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s solid minerals sector has increased its contribution to the nation’s GDP from less than 0.5 per cent 10 years ago to about 4.65 per cent, with higher growth projected in the coming years.
He said the progress reflected a growing mining sector and rising investment in national development.
“In practical terms, this means more mines in operation, more companies investing and more communities being impacted by mining activity.
“The ideas of strong data, more investment and greater beneficiation that seemed far off are now realities shaping the sector,” he said.
Alake said the theme of the mining week aligned with Nigeria’s goal to boost revenue by adding value to minerals and tapping opportunities in the energy transition.
The minister also said the mining week had chronicled the sector’s transformation from a largely informal industry into one increasingly driven by structure, innovation, and private investment.
According to him, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, the ministry has pursued reforms to improve transparency, de-risk the sector and unlock value across the mineral value chain.
Alake said Nigeria was being positioned to compete globally and be recognised as a choice mining investment destination, leveraging its vast mineral endowment, improving regulatory environment and commitment to sustainable development.
“About 100 exhibitors will showcase cutting-edge mining technologies at the Mining Week, while more than 3,500 delegates and participants from within and outside Nigeria will attend.”
He said several international mining delegations from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East were participating in the event, reflecting growing global interest in Nigeria’s mineral potential.
“Together through collaborative efforts, innovation and steadfast commitment, we will reposition Nigeria as a major force in the global mining landscape,” he said.
On his part, Mr Dele Ayankale, President of the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), said the 10th edition of the Mining Week marks a decade of impact, innovation, and collaboration in the solid minerals sector.
He said the platform had remained a catalyst for dialogue, reform and innovation, bridging the gap between policy and practice, operators and investors, and ideas and implementation.
Nigeria has witnessed significant strides in exploration, artisanal mining formalisation, investment inflows and the adoption of modern technologies to drive sustainability, he pointed out.
“Minerals such as gold, limestone, barite, lithium and bitumen have gained renewed attention, and through enhanced collaboration, we are seeing tangible contributions to job creation, community development and economic diversification,” he said.
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