The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has denied allegations by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Mineral Exploration, Security and Anti-Money Laundering that it has failed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation into illegal mining in the country.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Vivian Okono, described the claims made by the committee’s chairperson, Sanni Abdulraheem, as inaccurate and not reflective of the Ministry’s consistent engagement with the legislature.

Mr Abdulraheem had, on Wednesday, summoned the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, and the Director-General of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, alleging that both agencies had shown reluctance to engage constructively with the committee despite playing key roles in reforms designed to tackle illegal mining.

He further stated that the committee’s earlier collaborative approach had not been reciprocated by the Ministry and the MCO, claiming that their attitudes were hindering the progress of the probe.

Mrs Okono, however, dismissed the allegations, saying the committee’s account misrepresented the Ministry’s actions. According to her, the Ministry has consistently acted in good faith and maintained open communication with the committee.

She explained that the Ministry’s team had prepared to honour the invitation to appear before the committee on Tuesday, 18 November, based on the original correspondence. But later, contradictory updates were received from the committee’s secretariat.

Ms Okono said that to avoid any misunderstanding, she personally contacted the committee’s clerk, Ademola Adewale, on Monday, 17 November, to reconfirm the sitting time. She was informed that the hearing had been shifted from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. the following day.

However, she added that later that same day, the Ministry reached out again and was told that the committee had decided to postpone the appearance indefinitely.

“In light of these developments, the purported summon issued by the ad-hoc committee was unnecessary,” she said.

The Acting Permanent Secretary reiterated that the Ministry enjoys cordial and productive relations with the House of Representatives and its committees, stressing that both the executive and legislative arms share a joint responsibility to work in the best interest of Nigerians.