How I lobbied budget minister, others to increase allocation to my ministry – Dele Alake

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has recounted how he lobbied top government officials, including President Bola Tinubu, to increase the ministry’s 2025 budgetary allocation from N5 billion to N9 billion.

Mr Alake spoke before members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Solid Minerals on Monday at the National Assembly complex, Abuja.

The minister narrated the challenges he encountered before securing additional funding for the Solid Minerals Ministry, a government ministry considered critical to Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

He said when he noticed that the initial budget envelope for his ministry was N5 billion, he immediately engaged with key government officials, including the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu.

“In fact, to let you know, the envelope we first received was N5 billion. I don’t know if you are aware of that. It was N5 billion.

“The permanent secretary is here, and the night before the president came here when we were working on the rehearsal of the budget speech, the Director of Budget came in, and the Minister of Budget and I took them up in the presence of the president. And what did they do? They promised that it would be done. So, again the following day, after the president’s presentation, we found N9 billion”, he narrated.

The minister said even after getting a positive response from the president, he intensified his efforts to get additional allocation, but all his efforts were unproductive.

“There is no way that I can begin to tell you, except I have videos that I can show you of the several engagements that we had with the relevant budgetary authorities and individuals driving this process, and at every turn, we received very positive responses.

“Now, distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, when we have received very positive responses from those who are saddled with the responsibility of putting our budgets together, what else could we have done? There was no way we would rig their hands, and I don’t have the authority to compute the figures myself.”

Tinubu committed to solid minerals and diversification

When asked why his close relationship with President Tinubu did not translate to securing a more significant budget increase, Mr Alake explained that not everything he discussed with the president could be made public.

“Many members here have rightly noted that yes, my relationship with the president should be counted upon, I agree in-toto but there are several things that cannot be said in the open. I cannot be divulging the conversations I have had with the president on this issue in the open,” he said.

The minister emphasised that Mr Tinubu is passionate about diversifying the economy, a cornerstone of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“I am a manager of information, and I have done that for over 40 years, and I know how delicate information is. So, I give information on the-need-to-know basis or in private. So in short, the president is not unaware of our strides in the solid minerals’ sector.

“Every minute I am with him, apart from other issues that we discuss, or the assignments that he gives to me, I draw tales of solid minerals and we discuss all ratifications.”

He also told lawmakers that Mr Tinubu knows the funding challenges facing the solid minerals sector and that the president is committed to growing the industry.

“I want to also emphasise or maybe remind distinguished senators and honourable members that if the president were not in tune or in sync with our vision, the diversification of the economy away from oil would not be a critical part of his programme of Renewed Hope Agenda. It wouldn’t be. He coined it, he carved it.

“So, I want us to understand the fact that it is not because the president has not been intimated of the need for upward review that we are having this situation, not at all, and this is not to absolve the president of anything. I am just laying bare the facts,” the minister said.

Lawmakers express disappointment over inadequate budget allocation

Despite Mr Alake’s lobbying efforts, several members of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals expressed surprise that a government committed to economic diversification did not allocate enough funds in the budget to one of the most viable non-oil sectors.

Chairman of the Joint Committee, Ekong Samson, noted that in other countries, solid minerals are the backbone of their economies, with substantial annual funding provisions for sectoral development.

“We have seen how some economies are being managed. If we don’t invest in solid minerals, how do we diversify our economy? We have to diversify, and we must do it masterfully.”

Committee summons Edun, Bagudu

Mr Samson, however, directed the minister of finance, minister of budget, and the director-general of the budget office to appear before the committee members to explain the reasons for not allocating more funds for the Solid Minerals ministry.

“So, those concerned (Edun, Bagudu, Yakubu) have to appear before the joint committees to give us clear insights on what they intend to do,” he said.

Also, the Chairman of the House Committee on Solid Minerals, Gaza Jonathan, argued that the Nigerian government is unprepared for economic diversification.

In response to lawmakers’ concerns, the committee thereafter suspended the budget defence session, scheduling it for Tuesday to allow invited ministers to appear to provide further clarifications on the funding allocation.