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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has dismissed allegations by the Chairman of the House Ad-Hoc Committee on Mineral Exploration, Security and Anti-Money Laundering, Hon. Sanusi Abdulraheem, accusing the ministry of failing to cooperate with the committee.
Acting Permanent Secretary, Dr Vivian Okono, in a statement signed on Thursday by the Ministry’s Director of Press, Kania Andeyaba, described the allegation as misleading, insisting that the ministry had fully complied with all invitations and communications from the committee.
Okono explained that, contrary to the claim, the ministry’s delegation was officially informed that it would no longer appear before the committee on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, as earlier indicated in the invitation letter.
As a demonstration of respect for the House, she said she contacted the Clerk of the Committee, Dr Ademola Adewale, on Monday, 17 November, to reconfirm the sitting time, and was informed that the meeting had been shifted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the following day.
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However, later that same day, the ministry reached out again and was told that the committee had postponed its appearance indefinitely.
Given these circumstances, Okono said the committee’s reported summons was “unnecessary” and did not reflect the actual sequence of events.
She emphasised that the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development maintains excellent and cordial relations with the House of Representatives and its various committees, stressing that both the executive and legislative arms continue to work collaboratively in the interest of Nigerians.
