ACF Demands Full Disclosure On Nigeria-US Mineral Deal

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has raised concerns over the reported Nigeria-United States critical minerals agreement, demanding full disclosure of its terms.

ACF warned that the deal could expose Nigeria’s mineral wealth and vulnerable communities to exploitation if adequate safeguards are not in place.

The northern socio-cultural organisation said the Federal Government’s alleged reluctance to make the agreement public had raised serious questions about its financial implications, the rights granted to foreign interests, environmental safeguards and the benefits Nigeria and mineral-producing communities stand to gain.

ACF National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhawwmmad-Baba, in a statement said the Forum supported responsible foreign investment but would not accept an arrangement whose terms and benefits remained opaque.

The agreement was reportedly signed in New York on September 23, 2026, in connection with the exploitation of critical and strategic minerals.

The Forum insisted that Nigerians deserved to know what the country had committed to the arrangement and what the United States would deliver in return, including investments, financing, infrastructure, technology transfer and industrial development.

ACF identified gold, lithium, lead-zinc and other commercially valuable minerals in Northern Nigeria, saying their responsible development could generate employment, increase public revenue, stimulate industrialisation and diversify the regional economy.

However, it stressed that the central question was whether the reported deal would translate into measurable benefits for Nigerians or primarily facilitate the extraction and export of raw materials.

“The ACF’s concern is not, per se, cooperation with the United States but whether Nigeria, and particularly mineral-producing communities, will receive a fair, transparent and enforceable share of the benefits.

“ACF is particularly concerned that the spate of insecurity pervading many parts of the northern region may expose mineral-bearing communities to unlawful exploitation, population displacement, environmental degradation and the loss of legitimate economic opportunities.

“The Forum supports responsible foreign investment, but not investment without transparency; mineral development, but not extraction without value addition; and international partnership, but not arrangements whose terms and benefits remain opaque.

“Who bears the environmental and security costs? Are there safeguards and other guarantees to protect the environment, post-exploitation? Will there be commitments to firm and enforceable environmental remediation?

“Nigeria in general, and the northern region in particular, cannot afford an extractive arrangement in which its resources leave the ground while its people remain poor, unemployed and exposed to environmental damage,” the statement read in part.

Expressing particular concern over insecurity across parts of Northern Nigeria, the ACF warned that mineral-bearing communities already threatened by armed groups could face further exploitation, displacement and the loss of legitimate economic opportunities.

It said the Federal Government and relevant security and regulatory agencies must explain how they intended to prevent illegal mining, protect mining sites and host communities, and ensure that proceeds from lawful mineral development supported legitimate economic activities.