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.
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.
The Nigerian Senate has called on the management of the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC) to prioritise investments in agriculture and security as it implements its 2026 budget.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on NCDC, Titus Zam, made the call when the commission’s management appeared before the committee to defend its 2026 budget estimates.
Speaking after the session, Zam said the committee had reviewed all items in the estimates and found them relevant to the needs of the North-Central region.
“We have considered all the items on the estimates and found them very relevant and useful for the north-central region,” he said.
“As a committee overseeing this commission, we have requested them to prioritise their expenditures in line with their mandate so that people of the north-central region will benefit from their services and have value for resources that are allocated to them.”
He stressed that the commission’s development mandate must be sector-driven and not operate in isolation, noting that it should address key areas of the economy.
Zam listed priority sectors to include agriculture, security, health, education, public infrastructure, and other essential social services required by residents of the region.
“You know that north central is mostly agricultural and so agriculture must take pride of place, and it has been embedded in their budget,” he said.
He added that the commission was also considering collaboration with security experts and other stakeholders in the region to support security agencies in carrying out their responsibilities.
However, the lawmaker expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of the capital component of the commission’s 2025 budget, though he acknowledged that implementation challenges affected the national budget generally during the period.
According to him, the committee reviewed the commission’s total estimate of ₦140 billion for the 2026 financial year and approved the figure for appropriation in the interest of the region.
“This is the resolution of the committee: we hereby approve the total figure of ₦140 billion for the 2026 financial year for the commission,” he said.