General News
NASS, Solid Minerals Ministry Seek First-Line Charge Status to Boost Mining Sector
The National Assembly of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development have urged the Federal Government to grant the ministry’s budget first-line charge status, warning that irregular releases especially zero capital funding are undermining efforts to transform mining into a major driver of economic diversification.
The call was made Monday in Abuja when the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, appeared before the Joint National Assembly Committee on Solid Minerals Development chaired by Ekong Sampson. The session reviewed the ministry’s 2024 and 2025 budget performance and examined its 2026 proposal.
First-line charge status would guarantee statutory releases to the ministry, shielding it from delays or shortfalls in Treasury disbursements and placing it among priority sectors with protected funding.
2026 Budget Breakdown
Presenting the estimates, Alake said the combined personnel, overhead and capital ceilings for the ministry and its agencies total N165.34 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.
For the main ministry, he listed:
N1.79 billion for personnel
N1.57 billion for overhead
N45.54 billion for capital projects
Total: N48.9 billion
The balance is allocated to agencies under the ministry.
He described the proposal as a strategic shift from “planning and potential” to “execution, production and revenue generation,” stressing that the N156.34 billion sectoral outlay is vital to unlocking the solid minerals industry’s capacity to diversify the economy, create jobs and boost GDP.
According to the minister, priority spending areas include surveillance, logistics and digital systems needed to curb illegal mining, improve revenue collection and attract responsible investment.
Funding Shortfalls Stall Projects
Alake, however, said implementation has been hampered by poor releases. As of January 31, 2026, only 50 percent of the ministry’s 2025 overhead allocation had been released, while capital releases stood at zero.
“The zero release of the N865.06 billion for capital expenditure in Fiscal Year 2025 is the most critical issue,” he said, noting that major infrastructure, exploration and sector-development projects planned for the year could not begin.
Despite the funding constraints, he disclosed that the ministry exceeded its 2025 revenue target by 80 percent, generating N30.23 billion as of December 31, 2025. He attributed the growth to reforms, including formalising artisanal miners into cooperatives and corporate entities to enhance their access to financing and regulatory compliance.
He explained that formalisation allows government to collect royalties, taxes and other obligations while eliminating the stigma of illegality.
During the review period, he said, 388 mineral buying centres were established, artisanal miners received training, and four high-risk abandoned mine sites were reclaimed. He added that expansion of the ministry’s enterprise content management system drove digitisation efforts that earned it recognition as the country’s most digitised ministry in the past year.
Alake also said improved geological data acquisition has heightened investor interest in Nigeria’s mining sector, citing strong global attention at a recent African mining conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
Lawmakers Push for Funding Priority
Committee Chairman Sampson acknowledged the ministry’s progress but expressed concern over the gap between appropriations and actual releases.
“Zero releases on capital are worrisome. How do you drive the harvest of the sector’s full potential with zero per cent release?” he asked.
He said a previous N1 trillion intervention in the sector had raised expectations but warned that without implementation, the budget framework becomes unattractive to investors. Prioritising solid minerals in national budgeting, he added, would signal seriousness and strengthen investor confidence.
Other lawmakers supported the proposal for first-line charge status, describing mining as a sensitive and strategic sector critical to Nigeria’s economic future. One legislator noted that appropriating funds without releasing them undermines development of the industry.
Minister Welcomes Legislative Backing
Responding, Alake welcomed the suggestion, calling it “sweet music” and urging lawmakers to provide legislative backing.
“If you legislate on it, it becomes doable. Then we will put on our executive machinery to ensure delivery,” he said, stressing that stable funding is essential for geological mapping and data generation the foundation of credible mining investment.
The committee assured the minister it would examine the proposal and explore mechanisms to prioritise the sector in the national budget framework, saying repositioning solid minerals as a first-line charge could enhance Nigeria’s credibility in the global mining industry and deliver “huge harvests” for the country.
The United States has imposed financial sanctions on eight Nigerian nationals over alleged ties to extremist networks, including Boko Haram and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as part of its global counter-terrorism measures.
The action was disclosed in a February 10 update issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which oversees sanctions targeting terrorism financing, cybercrime, and threats to U.S. national security. Under the designation, all property and financial interests belonging to the listed individuals within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and American citizens or companies are prohibited from conducting transactions with them.
Among those sanctioned is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, whom U.S. authorities linked to alleged Boko Haram financing activities. He was previously convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 alongside five others for attempting to transfer $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria to support insurgent operations.
Another designee, Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, was listed under counter-terrorism sanctions and identified as operating under multiple aliases.
Others named include Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, Khaled Al-Barnawi, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki. Several were reportedly born in Maiduguri and other parts of Borno State, widely regarded as the epicentre of Boko Haram’s insurgency.
In a separate designation, Nnamdi Orson Benson was sanctioned under U.S. cyber-related restrictions.
The sanctions follow recommendations from U.S. congressional bodies urging visa bans and asset freezes against individuals and organisations accused of extremist connections or violations of religious freedom. Names mentioned in related deliberations included former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.
Washington formally designated Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013, citing its sustained campaign of violence across northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin since 2009.
In October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would again be placed on the U.S. State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern over alleged religious-freedom violations. Nigeria had previously been listed in 2020 before being removed during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Security analysts say the latest sanctions highlight Washington’s continued reliance on financial restrictions to disrupt suspected terror networks while signalling diplomatic pressure, as Nigeria confronts evolving security threats in its North-East and other regions.
General News
Senate Raises Concern Over Funding Releases as Minister Seeks Increase in N134.2bn 2026 Budget
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman‑Ibrahim, has called for an upward review of the N134.2 billion proposed for the ministry in the 2026 fiscal year, stressing that increased funding is necessary to tackle the complex challenges facing women nationwide.
She made the appeal on Monday while defending the ministry’s budget proposal before the Senate Committee on Women Affairs.
According to the minister, enhanced domestic allocations in 2026 would enable the ministry to implement programmes designed to address multifaceted social and economic issues affecting women across the country.
“In line with the plan and need for more domestic allocations in the 2026 fiscal year, upward review of budget estimates for the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development should be done,” she said.
However, responding to the request, the committee chairperson, Ireti Kingibe, said lawmakers were not opposed to increasing the ministry’s allocation but insisted that the persistent problem of poor fund releases must first be resolved by the executive.
She described the pattern of releases reflected in the ministry’s 2025 budget performance as “abysmal,” warning that approving higher allocations would be meaningless if actual disbursements remain inadequate.
Earlier in her presentation, Sulaiman-Ibrahim disclosed that of the N89.8 billion appropriated for capital expenditure in 2025, only N394 million was released in December, funds she said were not utilized. She added that overhead funding also suffered similar constraints, noting that just N471 million was released out of the N2.8 billion approved for that component.
For 2026, the ministry’s proposed N134.2 billion budget breakdown includes N2.1 billion for personnel costs, N131.2 billion for capital projects, and N810.9 million for overhead expenses.
Supporters of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El‑Rufai were dispersed with tear gas on Monday during a protest at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja.
The demonstrators had gathered at the anti-graft agency’s office while the ex-governor honored an invitation to respond to allegations of multi-billion-naira fraud and corruption linked to his time in office. Security operatives moved in after the crowd reportedly became rowdy, firing tear gas to break up the gathering.
The development follows a weekend incident in which operatives of the Department of State Services allegedly attempted to arrest the former governor at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport shortly after he returned from Cairo, Egypt. He was not detained.
In a media interview after the airport episode, El-Rufai accused Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, of being the “brains” behind what he described as efforts to target him. Authorities have not publicly responded to that claim.
Officials have yet to issue a formal statement on Monday’s confrontation, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.