Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has called on the Federal Government to make all mining agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) public, stressing that transparency must come before accountability in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
The Senator representing Kogi Central made the appeal during a Senate session on solid minerals oversight, according to a statement from her Media Office on Sunday.
Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to invoke the Freedom of Information Act and publish all existing and new contractual agreements with investors, both for legislative scrutiny and public access.
She said, “We would like them to be made available to Nigerians — all the various MOUs you have entered into. It’s from when you begin to disclose your engagements and contracts that we can begin to say our government is transparent. And it’s from transparency that Nigerians can begin to hold our government accountable.”
The lawmaker, a lawyer and development advocate, noted that meaningful accountability in the solid minerals industry cannot be achieved without basic transparency mechanisms in place. She further urged the ministry to leverage digital technology by publishing all relevant documents on its official website for easy access.
She said, “We are in the digital age, and it won’t take much to publish all this information. We cannot demand accountability if the various MOUs are not made public. Nigerians deserve to know who is exploiting their resources and under what terms.”
Representing one of Nigeria’s most mineral-rich regions, Akpoti-Uduaghan tied her call for openness to the plight of her constituents in Kogi Central. She lamented that despite hosting over 52 commercially viable mineral deposits, her people remain impoverished while foreign and local investors profit from their natural resources.
She said, “Kogi State, particularly Kogi Central, has over 52 solid minerals in commercial quantity. Yet we are people impoverished in the land of plenty. Each time I meet with my communities, they ask when they will begin to benefit from these abundant minerals.”
The Senator also expressed concern about Nigeria’s underreported wealth in gemstones such as ruby, emerald, and tourmaline.
She said, “For the first time, I got to know that my community is going to benefit from these minerals. Nigeria has ruby, emerald, and tourmaline, particularly in Cross River State, where these minerals are being extracted and exploited. But I do not think Nigeria is deriving any significant revenue from that.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan cautioned the Federal Government against allowing the solid minerals sector to descend into corruption and unregulated exploitation, similar to what has occurred in the oil industry.
While commending the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, for his reform initiatives, she urged the ministry to prioritize due diligence over speed.
She said, “It is very important that in the solid mineral sector, we must be careful. May I applaud the Honourable Minister’s initiative — his drive is commendable, but we must apply brakes to ensure we cross our T’s and dot our I’s. We cannot afford to fall into the same pitfalls that have plagued the oil sector for decades.”
The Senator also demanded a full disclosure of the inflows and current balance of the National Resources Fund, which she noted receives 1.68 percent of special funds from the Federation’s Consolidated Revenue Fund.
She said, “I would like one of you to explain how much we have generated over time into the National Resources Fund. Because I repeat, 1.68 percent goes in every time from the special funds, which itself is derived from the Federation Account. How much have we generated in the past three years, and how much do we have in there now?”
Akpoti-Uduaghan reiterated that openness and accountability in the mining sector are essential for sustainable national development and for restoring citizens’ trust in government institutions.
