The Federal Government has declined a proposal by northern governors and traditional leaders to implement a blanket six-month suspension of mining activities across Northern Nigeria.
The government said such a move would inflict serious economic harm while only partially addressing insecurity in the region.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said the Federal Government would not impose a blanket suspension on mining activities across the North, warning that such a move would have serious economic consequences.
Alake’s position, communicated through his media aide, Segun Tomori, stressed that shutting down all mining activities would have far-reaching economic consequences not just for northern states but for the nation.
He noted that major industrial facilities depend on mineral production and processing, including lithium plants in Nasarawa and iron processing operations in Kaduna.
“The Federal Government’s position remains that there can’t be a blanket suspension of mining activities across the North because it will have far more adverse economic implications,” Tomori said.
According to the minister, federal authorities have carefully weighed the security risks posed by illegal mining against the economic realities of legitimate mineral exploration and processing.
Rather than a full ban, the government is pressing forward with targeted security measures to confront criminal groups operating near mining sites.
Among the steps being pursued are plans for an audit and revalidation of mining licences, which Alake confirmed is in preparation, and the deployment of satellite surveillance to enhance monitoring of sites nationwide.
The government is also collaborating with international partners to shore up security outcomes around the extractive sector.
The rejection of the suspension request marks a key moment in an ongoing dispute between federal authorities and northern leaders over how best to tackle insecurity in the region.
In December 2025, leaders under the Northern States Governors’ Forum and traditional rulers pushed for a six-month mining moratorium, arguing that illegal mineral operations were funding armed groups and exacerbating violence.
That proposal was part of a broader regional security plan, which also included the creation of a ₦1bn monthly regional security trust fund designed to strengthen collective efforts against banditry, terrorism and kidnapping.
