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Editorial: The Dele Alake Question: Results in Abuja, but What About Ekiti?
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When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Henry Dele Alake as Minister of Solid Minerals Development in August 2023, Ekiti State celebrated. Governor Biodun Oyebanji called him “very experienced, hardworking and capable” and thanked the President for giving Ekiti “an illustrious citizen” at the federal table.
Thirty-two months later, a different conversation dominates Ekiti’s markets and WhatsApp groups. It was captured in a single Facebook post last week: “Who is the minister representing Ekiti at the federal capital, Abuja? It is as good as having no representative”. The frustration is not about Alake’s competence. It is about presence.
The case for the minister:
No fair observer can deny that Dr. Alake has worked. Under his watch, solid minerals revenue leapt from N16 billion in 2023 to over N70 billion in 2025. He presented gold bars to the President, shoring up $5 million for our reserves. Continentally, his peers re-elected him Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategic Group in Riyadh this year – a vote of confidence Tinubu himself praised.
He has not ignored Ekiti entirely. When the Presidency released palliatives, Alake channeled 1,200 bags of rice to elderly citizens in the state, promising that widows, orphans and students would be next. His media office insists he “supports the current administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji” and “will continue to contribute to the growth and progress of Ekiti State”.
His team also argues, with merit, that a minister serves the federation, not a senatorial district. His brief – to “make the solid minerals sector a major revenue earner” and “create thousands of high paying jobs” – is national, and Abuja is where that work happens.
The case for the people:
Yet representation is measured in two currencies: results and presence. On results, Alake scores. On presence, the ledger is thin.
Ekiti is not Zamfara or Kogi; we have no sprawling mines to commission. So the minister’s victories – AMSG chairmanship, mining marshals, MoUs with South Africa – land in the news, not on the ground in Ikoro or Ise. That is the structural reality of his portfolio. But it is compounded by a political choice: Alake has deliberately distanced himself from state politics, dismissing governorship posters as “fake” and insisting he is “too busy” for Ekiti elections “now or in the future”.
In avoiding politicking, he has also avoided the town halls, the school visits, the borehole projects that other ministers use to keep a finger on their home pulse. The constitution does not demand those visits. Public sentiment does.
Dimension stone and granite processing hub:
Ekiti State sits on large deposits of granite and other dimension stones, yet Nigeria still imports polished granite for major projects. A federal processing hub in Ekiti would fit squarely within the Ministry of Solid Minerals’ mandate because Minister Dele Alake has said the sector must “create thousands of high paying jobs for Nigerians” and move beyond raw extraction to value addition. Despite that alignment, no federal granite or dimension-stone hub has been announced for Ekiti since he took office.
Gemstone cutting and polishing school:
The Ijero axis of Ekiti is known for tourmaline, aquamarine, and other semi-precious stones. Setting up a gemstone cutting and polishing school in Ado-Ekiti would advance the Ministry’s stated goal of integrating artisanal miners into the formal economy while building the skilled workforce needed for value-added exports. At the moment, there is no training center or lapidary school tied to the Ministry in the state.
Kaolin-to-pharma and paint pilot:
Ekiti has commercial kaolin deposits, a mineral used in pharmaceuticals, paints, and ceramics that Nigeria largely imports. A pilot project to process Ekiti kaolin for domestic industries would support the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda on import substitution and industrialization – both themes Alake has linked to his reforms. However, no pilot plant or kaolin beneficiation project has been flagged off in Ekiti.
Formalizing Ekiti’s artisanal miners:
Nationwide, the Ministry is registering artisanal mining cooperatives as part of its push to curb illegal mining and grow revenue, which has already risen from N16 billion to over N70 billion. Ekiti has informal quarry workers and gemstone pickers who would benefit from cooperatives, licensing, and access to equipment. Still, there are no published figures on how many Ekiti cooperatives have been onboarded, and no state-specific numbers have been released.
Geoscience data for Ekiti:
The Nigeria-South Africa mining MoU that Alake signed covers UAV remote sensing, geoscience mapping, and advanced laboratory technology like LA-ICP-MS – tools that can prove the size and grade of mineral deposits to attract investors. Ekiti’s pegmatite and industrial mineral belts would be prime candidates for such surveys. Yet no survey flight, mapping exercise, or geodata release has been announced for the state.
Our stand:
Treasure Newspaper does not join the call for Dr. Alake to abandon his national assignment. Nigeria needs a solid minerals sector that works, and his reforms are beginning to deliver. We also reject the cynical view that “no visit means no work”. That is lazy politics.
But we do ask for balance. A minister is not a commissioner, yet he remains the only Ekiti voice in the Federal Executive Council. That voice must be heard and seen. Presence does not require weekly homecoming, but it does require deliberate touchpoints: quarterly ministerial briefings in Ado-Ekiti, solid minerals skills programs for our technical colleges, and clear advocacy for federal projects that site infrastructure in Ekiti where geology allows.
Governor Oyebanji cannot be the minister’s proxy forever. If Dr. Alake is indeed “a proud son of the soil”, the soil should feel him beyond bags of rice.
Ekiti gave Nigeria a strategist. We are proud of that. Now we ask the strategist to remember that strategy without people is just a memo in Abuja. Representing Ekiti means bringing Abuja’s weight to Ekiti’s ground – at least often enough that no citizen has to ask, “Who is our minister?”
Minister Dele Alake should consider and factor Ekiti State in the activities of his current Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals in Abuja and remember his home State for good. He should know that, there is life after leaving office.