President Bola Tinubu has said Nigeria is too richly endowed with natural resources to remain poor, calling for a renewed commitment to harnessing the country’s vast solid mineral wealth.
Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Mining Week in Abuja, Tinubu—represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume—stressed that the nation’s mineral deposits and human capital must translate into prosperity.
“Nigeria has no reason to be poor, given our abundant resources and talented people,” he said. “Our challenge is to harness these potentials to bring prosperity to all. Let us turn our minerals into miracles of development. ‘Minerals to Miracles’ must be our rallying cry.”
The President assured stakeholders of the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring safety and security across mining areas, adding that the administration is working to create a conducive environment for investors, workers, and host communities.
Tinubu emphasised Nigeria’s leadership role on the continent, noting that Africa holds about 30 percent of the world’s known mineral reserves and significant deposits of critical minerals essential to the global economy.
“When our mining sector thrives, it signals that value-added resource development is Africa’s way forward,” he said. “We must harness this wealth responsibly to ensure that more value remains within our economies, creating jobs and industrial clusters.”
Earlier, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) urged policymakers to strengthen the regulatory framework of the solid minerals sector. Chris Ochonu, NEITI’s Deputy Director of Communications and Stakeholders Management, highlighted the need to end multiple taxation and policy overlaps discouraging investors.
NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, described the mining sector as being at a “defining moment,” undergoing reforms to reposition it as a cornerstone of economic diversification and energy transition.
Citing the 2023 Solid Minerals Industry Report, Orji noted that the sector’s contribution to GDP remains below 1 percent, despite revenues increasing from ₦339.57 billion in 2022 to ₦401.87 billion in 2023.
He explained that artisanal and small-scale miners account for over 80 percent of total production volumes, yet contribute less than 30 percent of royalties, underscoring deep governance and structural gaps that require urgent reform.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Oladele Alake, presented a progress report on ongoing reforms aimed at transforming the sector into a key driver of economic growth.
On the sidelines of the event, Dr. Orji addressed a special mining forum organised by the Kaduna Mining Development Company, where he stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in boosting investor confidence and sustainable development at the sub-national level.
