ENUGU GOVERNOR CALLS FOR STATE INCLUSION IN MINERAL EXPLOITATION

Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of Enugu State has called for a significant restructuring of Nigeria’s solid minerals governance architecture, advocating for the inclusion of state governments in the exploitation and management of mineral resources as a necessary step toward sustainable economic diversification and the eradication of illegal mining across the country.
The governor made the call on Tuesday during a working visit by members of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, led by Senator Ekong Sampson, to the Government House in Enugu. In a detailed and strategic presentation, Mbah emphasized that Nigeria stands at a crucial crossroads where it must either harness its vast, dormant mineral assets for national development or continue to lose them to unregulated and criminal exploitation.
“Solid minerals hold a very huge economic opportunity for this country, particularly when we think of economic diversification,” Governor Mbah said, calling for a collaborative framework that enables state governments to take active roles in mining operations. “I am sure that you would ensure that there is more state inclusion or more state participation in the exploration or exploitation of solid minerals. Both the national and sub-national governments hold very huge potential. A lot of these assets are lying dormant or largely left in the hands of illegal miners. And that must end with the work your committee is doing.”
He further appealed to the Senate Committee to facilitate the resolution of longstanding legal conflicts arising from overlapping jurisdictions between the Nigerian Inland Waterway Act and the Mining Act, particularly regarding the rights to mine sand in coastal and riverine regions. “The Nigerian Inland Waterway Act and the Mining Act have been at loggerheads as to who holds the right to mining sand along the coastal areas. I hope that is also something that your Committee will be looking into,” he said.
Another major bottleneck to investment, Mbah noted, is the outdated and insufficient geospatial data available to both government and investors. “One of the major challenges in fully exploring the solid minerals sector is the lack of current, reliable data. Even when you have them, they are often obsolete or inadequate for making sound investment decisions,” he said, stressing that the establishment of clear lines of responsibility and well-defined benefit-sharing formulas will be critical in attracting major investment into the sector.
Responding, Senator Ekong Sampson praised Governor Mbah’s visionary leadership and acknowledged Enugu State’s historical and contemporary importance to Nigeria’s mining economy. “Enugu is not just the symbolic home of coal; it is also rich in limestone, iron ore, laterite, and silica deposits, among others. The Senate recognises the state’s rich mineral profile, and the potential it holds for socioeconomic growth,” he said. He affirmed the Senate’s readiness to work with the Mbah administration to unlock the state’s mineral wealth in alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.