The National Assembly Joint Committee on Solid Minerals has rejected the Ministry of Solid Minerals’ 2025 budget proposal, deeming it highly inadequate.

The rejection came on Friday after the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, presented the ministry’s budget estimates.

The motion to reject the budget was moved by Senator Diket Plang from Plateau State and seconded by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Kogi State.

Plang expressed dissatisfaction over the ministry’s allocation, noting that only N9 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure out of the N539.7 billion proposed.

Committee Chairman, Senator Ekong Sampson, emphasized the importance of adequately funding the solid minerals sector for Nigeria’s economic diversification.

“The current allocation is grossly inadequate and will hinder economic growth,” Sampson stated. “We must invest in this sector to address major challenges and unlock its full potential.”

Sampson stressed the need for bold steps in exploration, data gathering, and addressing industry challenges. “Nigeria, with its abundant resources, should not face such contradictions in economic planning,” he added.

Supporting the motion, Committee Co-Chairman Gaza Gbefwi, representing Keffi/Karu/Kokona Federal Constituency in Nasarawa State, called for a suspension of the budget defense.

“We are here to pass a budget for Nigerians and the progress of this country,” Gbefwi said. “The allocation given to the ministry is unimaginable and requires immediate review.”

Gbefwi proposed inviting the Minister of Planning and Budget to explain the low allocation.

Earlier, Minister Alake revealed that the ministry proposed N539.7 billion for capital projects and N2 billion for overhead costs in 2025. He lamented the significant gap between the proposal and the approved allocation.

“We seek to diversify Nigeria’s economy through development of green energy and solid minerals. However, the N9 billion allocation falls far short of our needs,” Alake noted.