The apex Northern socio-cultural group, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently make public the complete details of its critical minerals agreement with the United States.
The forum warned that executing strategic resource deals in opacity risks undermining national sovereignty, bypassing legal frameworks, and stripping mineral-rich host communities of their rightful economic and social benefits.
In an official statement issued in Kaduna, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba expressed deep concerns over the terms and scope of the recently signed critical minerals deal, which was finalized on the sidelines of international bilateral engagements between Nigerian and U.S. officials.
The ACF emphasized that any deal involving strategic resources, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements, must undergo full constitutional and legislative scrutiny.
”Full public disclosure and rigorous scrutiny are critical and must not be treated cavalierly,” Prof. Muhammad-Baba stated. “The Federal Government, the National Assembly, and relevant regulatory bodies must ensure complete transparency by publishing the agreement and all associated documents as required by law.”
The forum specifically demanded clarification on the exact terms, fiscal frameworks, and long-term financial liabilities imposed on Nigeria. The foreign and domestic private companies involved, including any preferential rights, tax waivers, or guarantees extended to them.
The forum demand to know how the National Assembly and state governments will supervise implementation and enforce environmental compliance.
A core issue raised by the ACF is the potential marginalisation of host communities where mineral extraction takes place. Historical precedents in the solid minerals sector show that secretive mining operations often lead to severe environmental degradation, displacement, and economic deprivation, leaving local populations impoverished while raw wealth is shipped abroad.
The ACF urged the Federal Government to prioritise domestic value addition over raw material exports. The forum urged the administration to mandate local processing, technology transfer, and direct community development funds within any foreign partnership framework.
Addressing security and governance concerns in the mining sector, the ACF called on law enforcement and intelligence agencies to thoroughly investigate alleged complicity between foreign interests and local actors in illegal mining networks.
The forum stressed that no strategic agreement can succeed while illegal extraction and resource-driven conflict remain unchecked in parts of Northern Nigeria and across the nation.
The ACF urged state governors, lawmakers, and civil society organizations across the country to join in demanding full disclosure, ensuring Nigeria’s natural resources serve national industrialisation rather than foreign strategic stockpiles.
