Change Of Mentality Critical To Nation-building – Alake

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has tasked the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) with formulating policies to reshape Nigerians’ mental attitudes, describing this shift as fundamental to nation-building and sustainable development.

Receiving participants of NIPSS Course 47 (2025) in his office in Abuja yesterday, Dr Alake praised the institute as Nigeria’s premier policy think tank, emphasising the need for it to spearhead a change in national mindset that would foster more effective policy implementation and accountability.

“We’ve had several development plans over the years, but implementation has often been fragmented,” the Minister noted. “NIPSS was established as a hub of intellectualism in the art of governance, yet a gap remains—perhaps because public officials don’t fully engage with its recommendations, or the institute isn’t articulating its ideas enough for practical adoption.”

According to the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, Alake lamented the decades-long neglect of the solid minerals sector, which allowed illegal operators to drain the nation of valuable resources. However, he stated that under the Tinubu administration, this narrative is changing.

Alake highlighted recent milestones, including the work of the mining marshals who, within a year of operations, had arrested over 300 illegal miners, initiated the prosecution of approximately 150 suspects—among them foreign nationals—and recovered 98 illegal mining sites. Nine convictions have also been secured.

The Minister further noted that the ministry’s non-coercive approach to combating illegal artisanal mining has led to the formation of over 250 cooperatives. These have helped formalise artisanal miners, enhance government oversight, and increase revenue generation through royalties.

Emphasising the importance of a national mindset shift, Alake said:
“Once the mental attitude is wrong, nothing else can be right. What the President is doing now is to stop the bleeding—plugging systemic leakages through critical reforms aimed at long-term national prosperity.”

Responding on behalf of the NIPSS delegation, Mr David Aloh commended the ministry’s transparency and insight, describing the session as “illuminating and eye-opening.”

He stated that participants were now better informed about the ministry’s activities and those of its key agencies, such as the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) and the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), particularly about Nigeria’s green economy aspirations.

“On behalf of the Director-General of NIPSS, the management, faculty staff, and members of the Senior Executive Course 47 of 2025, we wish to express our gratitude. We know that the knowledge we’ve gathered here today will come in handy as we proceed on this course in fulfilment of Mr President’s mandate,” Mr Aloh concluded.