Solid minerals minister gives one-week ultimatum for tech adoption

Dr Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, has issued a stern one-week ultimatum to all departments and agencies under his ministry to embrace technology or face dire consequences.

Dr Alake handed down the directive in Abuja during a ministerial retreat themed “Enhancing Performance, Strengthening Accountability, and Fostering Innovation in the Solid Minerals Sector”.

The event brought together ministry staff and key stakeholders to strategize on revitalizing the sector.

He stressed that the retreat must serve as a turning-point in aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which demands measurable, people-focused results from all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

“It will no longer be business as usual,” Dr. Alake declared, emphasizing the need for good governance, accountability, and innovation. “With the ongoing global energy transition and shifts in the mining landscape, we must rethink our approach. This retreat offers a platform to articulate a new, investor-friendly vision for the sector,” Dr Alake said.

He also urged participants to uphold the high standards already established in the ministry. “We cannot rest on our oars. Our hands must remain on deck. As President Tinubu likes to say, ‘On excellence, we must neither fail nor falter.’”

The Minister reaffirmed his commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic diversification, job creation, and inclusive growth.

Highlighting the importance of collaboration, he stated: “We must develop and implement policy frameworks that support exploration, beneficiation, and value addition within Nigeria. We must formalize the artisanal mining sector and ensure that host communities benefit from our interventions.”

Ijeoma Idika, the Ministry’s Director of Human Resource Management, who also spoke at the retreat, made a presentation titled “Building a Result-Oriented Culture: Enhancing Delivery Through Performance Management Systems (PMS)”.

She stressed that PMS has come to stay and urged all civil servants to adopt it as a tool to drive accountability and performance.

Faruk Yusuf Yabo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, echoed the urgency of harnessing Nigeria’s vast solid mineral resources. He described the launch of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Development Company as a game-changer that would significantly enhance the sector’s deliverables.

Editing by Daniel Adejo and Tony Okerafor