Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake has urged British investors to explore opportunities in Nigeria’s mining sector.

Alake made the call when he received the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Jonny Baxter yesterday in his office in Abuja.

He stated that Nigeria welcomed the UK’s support for capacity building, technical assistance, and knowledge transfer across the country’s mining value chain.

He said that President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Nigeria Solid Minerals Corporation to transform the mining sector and lay the foundation for its sustainable development.

According to the minister, the initial set up of the new corporation will be driven by the Ministry of Finance Incorporation (MOFI), with the structure modeled after the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) model.

“The Solid Minerals Corporation will be an enduring legacy. No future government will be able to exert any political interference.

“The President has approved this, and we are looking at a 50 per cent equity stake for the private sector, 25 per cent for Nigerians, and 25 per cent for the Federal Government,” he said.

Alake disclosed that in 2025, government planned to create a more competitive and internationally recognised mining sector that would play a significant role in boosting Nigeria’s economic profile.

“We are focused on improving access to mining sites through the development of intermodal transport along the mining corridor, including roads, rail, and waterways.

“Others are Strengthening the regulatory framework, remediating abandoned mining pits for productive use, ensuring investor security and expanding exploration to generate geo-data to attract major players ,” he said.

The minister described 2025 as a pivotal year for President Tinubu’s administration, stating that  the ongoing efforts to drive reforms across various sectors was already yielding results.

“We are encouraged by the support of our international partners for the difficult, but necessary reforms undertaken by this administration. We are already seeing positive trends in the economy, and prosperity is within reach,” he said.

On his part, Baxter commended the Federal Government’s move to model the new Solid Minerals Corporation after the NLNG, and reaffirmed the UK’s continued support in strengthening Nigeria’s regulatory framework.

He described Nigeria’s economic growth as crucial for global prosperity, while assuring Alake of the UK’s continued commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation in the mining sector. NAN

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, yesterday, in Abuja denied being part of the planned coalition against President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of 2027.

There have been rumours that some opposition parties are coming together to tackle Tinubu and his party in the next general elections.

The former governor of Anambra State stated this in Abuja while speaking with newsmen at the sideline of a two-day National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria.

“Well, for me, what is important is let’s discuss Nigeria. Whether we are going to do coalition… let’s talk about the future of the country, but often we abandon the country and what we need to do and talk about power grab.

“I’m not interested in any coalition for purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria.

“How do we care about securing the Nigerians? How do we care about the common person in Nigeria? “How do we care about our children being in school? That is the most important thing for now,” Obi asked rhetorically.

He emphasised that what should be paramount to politicians should be eradication of poverty, fixing public schools, hospitals and security of lives and property, adding that there should be concerted efforts to stop financial inducement in politics.

In his words, “That’s what we need to remove, because what you’re doing is encouraging stealing of public money.

“Because if I steal it and use it to win election, then I get all the power and everything, including immunity not to be prosecuted. So we must stop it. That is what’s driving the stealing.”

In his keynote address at the event, the former Vice President of Ghana, who was the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party in Ghana’s recent general elections, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, identified bastardization of state institutions as a big threat to democracy.

Dwelling on the theme, Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway To Good Governance And Political Integrity, Bawumia said, “One of the most important determinants of a flourishing democracy is the quality of institutions; institutions capable of guaranteeing rights, including property rights, and checking wanton abuse of power.

“These institutions include the independent election management bodies, the Judiciary, the ombudsman, the police, other law enforcement agencies, and many others.

“Celebrated Economists like Dani Rodrick, Daron Acemolgu, and others, have come to a firm conclusion that, when it comes to the determinants of growth, the quality of institutions towers above everything else.

“Unfortunately, whilst the culture of peacefully choosing leaders is being entrenched, these institutions are becoming weak and endangered.”

The former Vice President expressed concern over growing poverty in West Africa as a threat to democracy as he noted that the electorate are beginning to lose faith in representative government.

“One of the biggest threats to democracy today is what I call the Next Meal. Before I make my point, I need to reecho the words of one of Africa’s greatest sons, the distinguished Nelson Mandela, to wit, ‘As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality exist in our world, none of us can truly rest.’

“Democracy must be a means to an end. The best democracy is the one that delivers public goods and services effectively and efficiently and creates opportunities for citizens whilst making conscious efforts to leave no one behind.

“For Sub-Saharan Africa, the data suggest that we do not have an option to do nothing. In 2024, the World Bank estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population in extreme poverty live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Back home, the World Bank’s 2024 review reveals that more than half of Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty.

“For Nigeria, and indeed much of Sub-Saharan Africa, our work is cut out for us. We need to take decisive actions to demonstrate that to govern is to advance the interest and welfare of the people.

“We need to reconfigure our economic systems, processes, and institutions in a manner that prioritizes the next meal for majority of our people. For far too long, the focus has been on ticking the boxes on democratic institutions much to the neglect of what those institutions have been able to produce for the ordinary citizen.

“The person who is unable to afford the next ‘Eba’ meal is unlikely to appreciate any data on democratic progress.

“For our democracy to remain relevant and sustainable, actors need to ensure that citizens have confidence in the democratic system to address their needs and concerns, particularly basic needs, which I call the next meal principle,” Bawumia stated.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by Alhaji Hakeem Baba Ahmed, urged those entrusted with mandate to govern to live up to peoples’ expectations by protecting their interest.He maintained that transparent governance and genuine commitment to needs of the citizenry would guarantee democracy 

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Eleven members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) have disowned the appointment of Dr.

J. Y. Musa by the Acting National Chairman, Amb Iliya Damagum, to represent the party at the Supreme Court in the appeal filed by the sacked National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

The NWC is made up of 18 members with seven believed to be loyalists of Damagum and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

Dr. Musa is said be have close ties with Wike, former Governor of Rivers State.

In a petition dated Jan. 21, addressed to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court and acknowledged by the courts’ registries, the dissenting NWC members questioned the legitimacy of the appointment.

They emphasized that according to Article 42 of the PDP Constitution, the authority to appoint an external legal representative lies solely with the National Legal Adviser and not the National Chairman.

The 11 members asserted that Damagum’s appointment of Dr. Musa was unauthorized and, therefore, invalid.

The controversy stems from a ruling on Dec. 20, 2024 by the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which upheld the earlier decision of a High Court to remove Senator Anyanwu as the PDP National Secretary.

In response to the ruling, Anyanwu filed a Stay of Execution and Appeal, with Dr. Musa nominated as the party’s legal counsel in the matter.

The 11 NWC members’ petition has raised questions about possible conflicts of interest, particularly given Dr. Musa’s alleged association with Wike, a powerful figure within the party.

This revelation has sparked concern over the impartiality of the legal representation, with many within the party questioning whether the appointment was made in good faith or was politically motivated.

This latest development deepens the leadership woes currently plaguing the PDP.

It highlights the growing discontent within the party’s ranks and underscores the need for greater transparency and adherence to the party’s constitutional framework.

The petition from the 11 NWC members calls for a re-evaluation of the leadership structure and a commitment to upholding party guidelines and principles in all decision-making processes.