The Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture has formally “canvased for the removal of mining activities” from the “Exclusive Legislative List” to the “Concurrent List,” maintaining that the “centralization of mineral control” in Abuja is “stifling the industrial growth” of resource-rich states like Kwara. In a detailed position paper presented to the “National Assembly Committee on Constitutional Review” on Monday, April 27, 2026, the chamber argued that the “current constitutional arrangement” prevents “sub-national governments” from “effectively regulating and benefiting from the vast mineral wealth” within their borders. The business group maintained that “decentralizing the mining sector” is the “only way” to “attract genuine local and foreign investment” and “end the menace of illegal mining” that “deprives the nation of vital revenue.”
The “advocacy for mining reform” was led by the President of the Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Alhaji Olaiya Ayansola, who maintained that the “state’s lithium and gold deposits” could “transform the local economy” if the “regulatory bottleneck” is removed. Supporting context from the chamber indicates that “investors are often frustrated” by the “dual burden” of “seeking federal licenses” while “negotiating local land rights” with “host communities and state governments.” Alhaji Ayansola argued that “states are better positioned” to “provide security, monitor environmental compliance, and ensure community participation” than “a distant federal agency.” The chamber maintained that “the removal from the Exclusive List” would “empower states” to “issue artisanal mining permits” and “build local processing plants,” thereby “creating thousands of jobs” and “boosting the Internally Generated Revenue.”
Stakeholder reactions to the “KWACCIMA Proposal” have been “marked by a mixture of support and caution.” The “Kwara State Government” and the “Miners Association of Nigeria” have “aligned with the chamber,” noting that “the current mining act” is “inefficient and prone to abuse.” They maintained that “state control” would “bring sanity to the sector” and “discourage the ‘smuggling’ of minerals” through “unmanned borders.” Conversely, some “federalist advocates” have “warned against a ‘fragmented regulatory landscape’,” arguing that “mining is a ‘strategic national asset'” that “requires a ‘uniform standards and international protocols’.” They maintained that “instead of total removal,” the “Federal Government should ‘share revenue and regulatory powers'” more “equitably with the states” through “stronger collaborative frameworks.”
Economic and mineral analysts observe that the “Mining Policy Debate” is a “critical component” of Nigeria’s “economic diversification strategy.” Experts suggest that “the ‘lithium rush’ in Kwara and Kogi states” has “exposed the flaws” in the “centralized system.” They argue that “the government must ‘unlock the mineral sector'” to “reduce the dependence on oil.” Analyst Dr. Udeme Etuk noted that “KWACCIMA is right to ‘push for constitutional change’,” adding that “the ‘centralization of minerals’ is a ‘colonial hangover’ that ‘stifles local initiative’.” He emphasized that “if mining moves to the Concurrent List, we will see a ‘competitive race to the top’ among states,” adding that “the ‘state-led mining model’ has ‘worked successfully’ in other ‘federations like Australia and Canada’.”
The broader implications of this development point toward a “heightened pressure” on the “National Assembly” to “include mining reform” in the “ongoing constitutional review.” By “canvasing for the removal,” the “Kwara Chamber of Commerce” is “acting as a mouthpiece” for “private sector interests” across the “North-Central zone.” This move is expected to lead to “increased lobbying” by “state governors” who “see mining as the ‘next frontier’ for ‘fiscal independence’.” As the “constitutional review committee” prepares to “hold public hearings” in the “six geopolitical zones,” the focus remains on the “balance of power” between the “Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals” and the “State Ministries of Mines.” For the “people of Kwara,” the “KWACCIMA Advocacy” is a “demand for the ‘right to benefit’ from their ‘natural heritage'” and a “hope for an ‘industrial revolution’ powered by ‘local minerals’.”
