The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has emphasized the need for enhanced advocacy and strategic collaboration among stakeholders to promote a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable built environment in Nigeria.

Aminu Bashir, President of NIQS, made the call during the institute’s 6th National Executive Council and Chapter Chairmen Retreat in Abuja, themed “From Intention to Structure, From Structure to Delivery.” He noted that the retreat forms part of NIQS’s broader commitment to strengthening professionalism, institutional capacity, and leadership effectiveness.

Bashir stressed that visionary and purposeful leadership is essential for advancing both the institute and the quantity surveying profession. The retreat aimed to equip newly elected council members with strategic skills to effectively deliver on the institute’s mandate.

Delivering the keynote address, former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Waziri Adio, urged NIQS to embrace data-driven decision-making. Speaking on “Leadership and Relevance in the Data Age,” Adio highlighted that professional bodies must leverage data and evidence to set priorities, shape policies, and engage stakeholders.

“Data is power—it is the new gold. Relying solely on instinct, authority, or experience is no longer sufficient for effective leadership,” Adio said. He recommended the adoption of Data-Driven Decision-Making (DDDM) to validate decisions and enhance organisational credibility.

Drawing from his NEITI experience, Adio cited how empirical data analysis contributed to legislative reforms and informed policy debates, including VAT revenue sharing. He urged NIQS to commission regular studies to strengthen its authority, thought leadership, and impact within the construction and built environment sector.

Adio also highlighted the importance of prioritization, advising the NIQS leadership to focus on a “signature intervention” that defines its legacy. Inclusive consultation with members and stakeholders, he noted, builds trust, ownership, and long-term sustainability.

He cautioned against misusing data, emphasizing ethical standards, robust methodology, and quality information. “Good data enhances credibility; dodgy data undermines it,” he said. He encouraged NIQS to invest in data literacy and cultivate a culture of evidence-based decision-making to maintain relevance and effectiveness in Nigeria’s construction industry.

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President Bola Tinubu has stated that Nigeria must no longer remain poor despite its vast deposits of solid minerals, calling for a renewed national commitment to transforming the country’s resource wealth into long-term economic prosperity.

Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Mining Week held in Abuja, the President represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume described the country’s mineral wealth as a powerful but underutilized tool for national development.

“Nigeria has no reason to be poor, given our abundant resources and talented people,” he said.

“Our challenge is to harness these potentials to bring prosperity to all. Let us turn our minerals into miracles of development. ‘Minerals to Miracles’ must be our rallying cry.”

President Tinubu described the Nigeria Mining Week as an emerging global platform that is helping to shape the nation’s economic trajectory through strategic dialogue and collaboration between government, investors, and operators. He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to creating a secure and business-friendly environment across all mining zones, ensuring the safety of investors, workers, and host communities alike.

“When our mining sector thrives, it signals that value-added resource development is Africa’s way forward,” he added.

Highlighting Africa’s strategic importance to the global economy, the President noted that the continent holds approximately 30 percent of the world’s known mineral reserves—including many critical minerals essential to 21st-century industrialization. He urged African nations to manage these resources responsibly and ensure more value remains within their own economies through job creation and the development of local industries.

“We must harness this wealth responsibly, ensuring that more value remains within our economies, creating jobs and industrial clusters,” he said.

The forum also drew insights from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), with the organization’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, describing Nigeria’s mining sector as standing at a defining moment. According to him, recent reforms are targeting the transition of the industry from an informal and underperforming state into a central pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification and energy transition plans.

He referenced NEITI’s 2023 Solid Minerals Industry Report, which revealed that although revenues grew from ₦339.57 billion in 2022 to ₦401.87 billion in 2023, the sector’s contribution to GDP remains below 1 percent.

“Our data further reveal that artisanal and small-scale mining accounted for over 80 percent of total production volumes but contributed less than 30 percent of royalties paid. This underscores deep governance and structural challenges that demand urgent reform,” he said.

Speaking during a special mining forum hosted by the Kaduna Mining Development Company on the sidelines of the event, Dr. Orji also emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in repositioning state-owned mining enterprises. He stressed that sub-national mining companies can play a strategic role in attracting investment and driving institutional reform, particularly at the state level.

In a related address, NEITI’s Deputy Director of Communications and Stakeholders Management, Chris Ochonu, urged policymakers to establish a harmonized, transparent, and predictable regulatory framework for Nigeria’s solid minerals sector. He noted that while the licensing process has improved, unresolved issues such as policy overlaps and multiple taxation continue to deter credible investors and limit sectoral growth.

“There is a need for equal attention to these structural challenges if the sector is to realize its full potential,” he said.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Alake, also delivered a comprehensive update on reforms initiated by the Tinubu administration. He outlined steps taken to reposition the sector as a growth driver for the national economy, including new monitoring mechanisms, policy interventions, and investment incentives.

As global demand for critical minerals intensifies, the 2025 Nigeria Mining Week has reinforced its role as a key platform for policy dialogue, investment mobilization, and collaborative action. For Nigeria, the path forward is clear: its mineral wealth must become the foundation of a more prosperous, inclusive, and industrialized future.

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This recovery effort is aimed at ensuring funds owed to the Federal Government are accounted for and reinvested into the national economy.

Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary of NEITI, made this revelation during a budget defense session before the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) in Abuja. He emphasized that the partnership is part of NEITI’s broader commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive industries.

Orji noted that NEITI has recovered over N3.7 billion in liabilities from oil and gas companies in the past year alone. Despite these achievements, he acknowledged the agency’s budgetary constraints, stating that NEITI has been allocated N6.5 billion for 2025, comprising N2.22 billion for personnel costs, N1.72 billion for overheads, and N2.58 billion for capital projects.

Plans for 2025
NEITI outlined key activities planned for 2025, including:

• Publishing industry reports for oil, gas, and mining sectors.
• Conducting fiscal allocation and statutory disbursement audits.
• Researching Nigeria’s actual petroleum consumption.
• Assessing the economic impact of energy transition.
• Conducting a national perception survey on the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Legislative Scrutiny of NEITI’s Budget
During the session, lawmakers raised concerns about certain provisions in NEITI’s 2025 budget proposal. Specifically, Kafilat Ogbara, representing Kosofe Federal Constituency, criticized the N32 million allocation for meals, calling it excessive given the current economic challenges facing Nigerians.

“There is no justification for spending such an amount on meals in a year,” Ogbara remarked, urging government agencies to align budget proposals with their core mandates and the country’s economic realities.

Ademorin Kuye, representing Shomolu Federal Constituency, echoed similar sentiments, cautioning that such proposals could harm the National Assembly’s credibility. “We must ensure that all expenditures are necessary and justifiable, especially given the perception that the National Assembly merely rubber-stamps budgets,” he said.

Concerns Over Welfare Provisions
Committee Chairman Alhassan Ado-Doguwa also questioned the inclusion of National Assembly members in NEITI’s welfare package, noting the lack of direct oversight visits to the agency. He emphasized the need for prudence in public spending, given the harsh economic conditions many Nigerians are facing.

Doguwa assured the agency of legislative support for necessary expenditures but warned against excessive or unclear budgetary allocations. “Every naira spent must serve a purpose,” he said, adding that the legislature remains committed to aiding NEITI in achieving its mandate of ensuring accountability in the extractive industries.

The session highlighted the delicate balance between supporting agencies in fulfilling their mandates and ensuring fiscal responsibility in the use of public resources.

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