NASS, solid minerals ministry seek first-line charge for mining sector

The National Assembly and the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development have urged the federal government to grant the ministry first-line charge status to ensure steady and predictable funding.

The call was made on 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.

Alake presented the ministry’s 2024 and 2025 budget performance and defended its 2026 budget proposal.

Lawmakers said granting first-line charge status, similar to priority sectors, would guarantee statutory releases and shield the ministry from delays and shortfalls in Treasury disbursements.

They warned that inconsistent funding, particularly zero capital releases, is undermining efforts to reposition mining as a key pillar of economic diversification.

He described the 2026 proposal as a shift from “planning and potential” to “execution, production and revenue generation,” noting that the N156.34 billion sectoral outlay is a critical investment to unlock solid minerals’ capacity to diversify the economy, create jobs and boost GDP.

However, Alake lamented funding constraints, revealing that as of January 31, 2026, only 50 per cent of the 2025 overhead allocation had been released, while capital releases stood at zero.

Senator Sampson and other lawmakers decried the gap between appropriations and releases.

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