News Investigators/ The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, says partnership with National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will help in tracking operations in the solid minerals sector.
Mr Alake stated this when he received a delegation of NIMC led by the Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote on a courtesy visit at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Lara Owoeye-Wise, said the ministry and NIMC were partnering to promote digital identity in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
She said the partnership was aimed at strengthening governance, enhancing security and accelerating reforms across the sector.
The minister, speaking at the event said that without proper identification, tracing and tracking operations would be difficult, creating an environment in which insecurity can thrive.
“In the solid minerals sector, we need effective tracking of both legal and illegal operations. A credible identity ecosystem will strengthen regulation, improve enforcement and support our efforts to sanitise the sector,” he said.
He emphasised that technology, statistics, data gathering and digital identity were critical enablers for evidence-based policymaking, improved regulatory oversight, efficient licensing, investment promotion and national development.
Mr Alake said that the ongoing reforms in the solid minerals sector required robust collaboration with institutions such as NIMC to strengthen transparency and accountability across the mining value chain.
He described the commission as pivotal in Nigeria’s development architecture.
According to Alake, effective governance is impossible without a credible identity management system.
Technology and reliable data, he emphasised, had become indispensable tools for planning, regulation, investment and national security.
“NIMC occupies a critical position in translating policy into reality. It is pivotal to the development of any nation because governance today is driven by data, technology and credible identity systems,” he said.
On her part, the Director General of NIMC said that the newly enacted NIMC Act had positioned Nigeria to fully embrace a digital governance ecosystem.
Mrs Coker-Odusote explained that deeper integration of identity management into the solid minerals sector would facilitate database integration across government institutions, enhance regulatory compliance, and strengthen security and law enforcement.
She added that the initiative would also improve the monitoring of operators and provide stronger support for the implementation of Community Development Agreements (CDAs) in mining host communities.
According to her, the commission’s digital identity infrastructure will enable government agencies to build more reliable databases, improve service delivery and foster greater transparency in public administration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that both parties expressed commitment to strengthen collaboration through technology-driven initiatives to support the ministry’s ongoing reforms.
They said the partnership would also improve governance, reinforce security, and contribute to sustainable development in Nigeria’s mining sector.
The meeting also highlighted the significance of the recently signed NIMC Act, 2026, which provides a stronger legal framework for Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
NAN further reports that the Act is expected to accelerate secure identity verification, improve inter-agency data integration, and enhance public service delivery.
It is also expected to strengthen law enforcement, promote transparency and accountability and lay a solid foundation for a modern digital economy.
By providing every eligible Nigerian and legal resident with a trusted digital identity, the legislation marks a major milestone in the country’s journey towards more efficient, technology-driven governance.
NAN
