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On 6 October 2025, Dr. Henry Dele Alake, the Honorable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, turns 69. For numerous people in Nigeria, his name brings back recollections of his long career as a journalist and public speaker. These days, it symbolizes fresh optimism for sustainable changes in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector and Africa’s mining industry.

To grasp the minister’s background, you need to know his father, Pa Michael Ojo Alake. He earned a degree in Philosophy from Fourah Bay College, which was once the most esteemed university in West Africa. Later, he established and managed the Benevolent High School in Lagos, where residents from his hometown Ikoro-Ekiti, along with underprivileged students, received free education. His efforts did not go unnoticed. The people of Ikoro honored him with the title, Eleyinmi of Ikoro-Ekiti, in recognition of his generosity.

From 1979 to 1983, Alake Senior served as a key consultant to Governor Lateef Jakande in developing and executing the free education initiative, a program that eliminated the classroom rotation system and constructed more than 500 new schools to house students in a single session within four years.

As an education professional, Alake Senior understood the role of quality schools in shaping the character of a cultured, self-assured, and forward-thinking child. He enrolled his son in the top schools of that era — Surulere Baptist Primary School in Surulere, Lagos; Christ’s School in Ado-Ekiti; Igbobi College in Yaba — and completed his education with university studies at the University of Lagos, where the minister pursued Political Science and later obtained a Master’s in Mass Communication. However, his experience extended beyond academics. His involvement in inter-campus and extracurricular activities exposed him to Professor Wole Soyinka, which enhanced his social awareness and dedication to the public good.

This lineage established a strong benchmark in ethics, speech, and community service for the minister. He remains committed to exceeding it. His father was notable in education, yet he opted for media. Upon joining the National Youth Service Corps and being assigned to Ogun State Radio, his dedication and innovation were recognized. The organization gave him responsibilities typically reserved for experienced staff. His performance resulted in his association with Lagos State Radio and a rapid promotion to Senior Sub-Editor—one of the swiftest rises in the organization’s history.

The Crusader

As a columnist, news manager, and editor, Alake made advocating for good governance the central purpose of his career. His selection of stories and writings was intentionally designed to raise awareness among readers in the style of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This demanded great bravery during military rule, and he frequently found himself in the company of the secret service. On such occasions, he would always have his toiletry bag ready. At one point, Concord Press of Nigeria, where he was employed, was locked down by the military junta. However, this did not stop the crusader, whose belief that journalism must hold social significance only strengthened his resolve to inspire people to oppose poor governance. For Dele, the words of Frantz Fanon, that “the future will show no mercy to those men who, having the unique privilege of being able to speak truths to their oppressors, instead chose to remain passive, silent, and sometimes even coldly complicit,” served as a call to become a catalyst for change.

The cancellation of the June 12, 1993 election, which was won by the publisher of Concord Press, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, placed him at the center of the battle to realize this historic act of popular sovereignty by the Nigerian people. During this massive struggle, he met and collaborated with Senator Bola Tinubu, who had abandoned his ambition to become president of the Third Republic Senate in order to support Abiola’s rise. A lasting friendship was formed in the heat of that struggle, both in Nigeria and in exile. Indeed, Tinubu’s initial plan to return to the Senate in 1998 was redirected towards governorship by advisors like Alake, who believed he had developed the progressive image and financial skills needed to implement Abiola’s manifesto, Farewell to Poverty, in Lagos State at a local level and eventually expand it nationally. When Bola Tinubu became Governor of Lagos State in 1999, Alake served as the Lagos State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, a role he held until 2007. In this position, he played a key role in shaping the communication strategy and public image of the Tinubu administration in Lagos. Beyond Lagos, Alake’s engagement in national politics grew. In December 2014, he was appointed Director of Media and Communication for the Buhari Campaign Organisation during the 2015 presidential election. Over time, he built a reputation as a strategist, tactician, and trusted political advisor to President Tinubu.

The Mining Reformer

Only an individual such as Alake, who possesses the mental sharpness required to tackle complex challenges and a history of challenging the established order, could have been given the monumental task of cleaning up the solid minerals sector. The risks were significant: fragile institutions, powerful groups involved in illegal mining, and security issues—each presenting major obstacles. Without consistent implementation, even well-meaning policies can come to a standstill. Since becoming Minister of Solid Minerals Development in August 2023, he has spearheaded efforts to reform a sector that has long been seen as underdeveloped, divided, and plagued by regulatory inefficiencies.

A lake started off strongly by utilizing the agenda-setting theory of journalism. He created the Seven-Point Agenda aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s mining sector’s international competitiveness and local industrialization through in-depth research, literature review, and discussions with relevant parties. He pinpointed obstacles such as insecurity resulting from illegal miners and bandits, speculation in license management, breaches of the Minerals and Mining Act 2007, a corporate gap due to the closure of the Nigerian Mining Corporation, low royalty and administrative fee rates despite significant technological investments, and the inability to set up statutory and regulatory entities like the Environmental Rehabilitation Fund. He was highly committed to reversing the export of raw minerals and ensuring that minerals were processed locally to generate employment and achieve better prices in global markets.

Within 25 months, Alake made it clear that a new leader was taking control in the solid minerals sector. He implemented several initiatives. He created the Mining Marshals to tackle illegal mining and piracy, canceled 3,974 licenses due to non-payment of annual service fees or failure to mine after obtaining permits, established the Nigerian Solid Minerals Company focused on the private sector, and set up the Environmental Rehabilitation Fund, raised administrative fees and royalties, and transformed mining communications. To add to this, his push for value addition, which he first introduced at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh in January 2024, captured the support of African mining ministers. To keep this momentum going across the continent, they formed the Africa Minerals Strategy Group and appointed him as its first chairman. A year later, at the 2025 Future Minerals Forum, they praised Alake for transforming the one-year-old AMSG into a major force across the continent!

The outcomes of Alake’s changes in the solid minerals industry represent a key part of the successes under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. These achievements involve a rise in income for the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, increasing from N6 billion in 2023 to N12.5 billion in 2024. It has also recorded N10 billion in revenue between January and April of this year. Additionally, for the first time, the royalties gathered by the Mines Inspectorate department of the Ministry reached a high of N6.4 billion by December of last year.

The push for value addition has spurred mineral processing and manufacturing initiatives, including Hasetin’s $400 million Rare Earth facility, ASBA’s $60 million lithium processing plant, Canmax Lithium’s $200 million plant, New Energy Materials Company’s $200 million lithium facility, with additional processing projects currently under development. It has also motivated established facilities like Segilola/Thor, Kursi, and Africa Industries Group to expand their operations. The Ministry, via SMDF, its financial partner, is also set to invest in the $1.3 billion alumina and $96.8 million silica processing projects in partnership with the Africa Finance Corporation.

The creation of the Mining Marshals has resulted in the prosecution of more than 300 individuals suspected of engaging in illegal mining activities, the removal of unauthorized miners from 90 licensed sites, and the surveillance of 450 locations where illegal mining is taking place. With increased logistical support, the enforcement of mining regulations is expected to become more rigorous.

Enhancements in the transparency and responsibility of license management have been realized through the modernization of the Electronic Mining Cadastre system, the introduction of the mining decisions website, and the enhancement of information available on the websites of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and the ministry. Currently, research and license applications can be started at any time, day or night, from any location around the globe.

Alake has also taken part in enhancing human capabilities. His agreement with the Australian government, discussed during Africa Down Under in September 2023, was carried out this year with the training of the initial group of Nigerian geologists in advanced exploration techniques at Murdoch University. Locally, more than 250 young people have gained from workshops on gemology and jewelry creation, while the Institute of Geosciences keeps producing new mining professionals each year.

What no credible observer of the solid minerals industry would dispute is Alake’s outstanding success in promoting improved adherence to the law. Companies are now more conscious of their obligations and diligent in meeting deadlines and following the guidelines.

With these recordings, Alake carries on the family legacy by dedicating his life to serving his homeland. It’s a routine filled with hard work, innovation, and perseverance that might cause him to overlook the passage of another year, making today his birthday. This piece serves as a kind reminder for him to take a day off and honor God’s blessings. Happy birthday, sir!

*Kehinde Bamigbetan, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, serves as the Special Adviser to Dr. Dele Alake, the Honorable Minister of Solid Minerals Development*

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Tagged: Nigeria, West Africa

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