Stakeholders have called for the sustainable development of Nigeria’s mineral sector with increased participation of host communities, emphasising that harnessing Nigeria’s critical minerals is necessary for the global energy transition.
The Spaces for Change initiative (S4C), Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), among others, made the call at the ongoing National Extractive Dialogue 2025 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
With the theme, “Transitions, Divestments and Critical Minerals: Charting A Just Future for Nigeria’s Extractive Sector,” the Executive Director, Spaces for Change, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, noted that as the world races towards energy transition, Nigeria should make informed choices on regulation, environmental accountability and community protection.
She said: “The exploration and production of oil and gas have already impacted the communities. The environment had not been restored before the International Oil Companies’ (IOCs) divestment of assets to indigenous companies. We should not allow what happened to oil and gas communities to be extended to the mining sector.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Ekong Sampson, reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to the sustainable development of the sector.
Disclosing the committee’s visit to various mining sites, which he described as ‘mass graves’, Sampson noted that the operators must be held accountable for their actions or activities. He called for better collaboration with stakeholders to enhance community engagement.
Also speaking, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals, Gaza Gbefwi, expressed the need for urgent policy actions towards harnessing Nigeria’s critical minerals that were essential for the global clean energy transition.
