Thursday July 03, 2025
By Samuel UDOMA
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has commended the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals’ work in driving legislative agenda and policy reforms aimed at engendering the much needed economic diversification of the country, through the minerals sector.
Senator Akpabio stated this at plenary yesterday, after Senate passed the Bitumen Development Commission Bill. The Bill, sponsored by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South) had scaled Third Reading, after a report on it by the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development. The Bill now awaits assent by President Bola Tinubu.
Commenting on the Bill, Senator Akpabio lauded the Committee on Solid Minerals for the job well done in expanding the frontiers of legislation, aimed at further unearthing Nigeria’s mineral wealth for economic growth and prosperity.
Akpabio praised the Senator Ekong Sampson led-Committee for its meticulous work on the Bitumen Commission Bill. He also lauded the sponsor of the Bill, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim for conceptualizing the Commission, which he said, will not only provide jobs for Nigerians, but will also help harness the nation’s vast mineral wealth.
Earlier, while presenting the report, a member of the Committee on Solid Minerals, Senator Diket Plang (Plateau Central), representing the Chairman, Senator Ekong Sampson, who was unavoidably absent, attending to another urgent national assignment, highlighted that the proposed Commission will among other things, serve as a regulatory body for the exploration, exploitation and production of Nigeria’s bitumen, estimated at about 42 billion tonnes – a second largest deposit in the world.
The Senate’s passage of the Bill comes as part of broader efforts to diversify the national economy, reduce the reliance on crude oil and expand Nigeria’s industrial and export base. It follows the injection of one trillion naira in the 2025 Budget for the Ministry of Solid Minerals by President Bola Tinubu – a marked budgetary improvement for the sector.
Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals has continued to intensify its nationwide oversight functions and consultations with critical segments of Nigeria’s mining industry. A fortnight ago, the Committee in a delegation led by Senator Ekong Sampson (Akwa Ibom South), was in Ebonyi and Enugu, where they met with Governors of both States; visited some mining sites as well as engaged stakeholders and operators in the sector in a town hall.
