(Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi. Photo Credit: Channels Tv)
Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi has urged the Federal Government to ban the export of raw, unprocessed materials from Nigeria.
Gumi argued that Nigeria’s mineral wealth belongs to Nigerians and must be refined locally to generate the most value.
Any foreign country or company wanting access to Nigeria’s resources should be required to build refineries, processing plants and secondary industries within the country, he said.
The policy should cover all resource sectors, he added, including oil now that Nigeria has both state and private refineries.
Rather than sending raw materials abroad and importing finished goods, Nigeria should process everything domestically, create jobs, build industries and keep far more money in the local economy.
His position aligns with the Federal Government’s focus on value-addition.
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council is pushing a bill requiring at least 30 percent local processing before minerals can be exported, designed to attract investment in processing plants and create employment.
In August 2025, the government imposed a six-month ban on exporting raw shea nuts to transform Nigeria from a supplier of raw nuts into a global source of refined shea butter and related products.
Gumi connected resource policy to national sovereignty and international relations.
He said Nigeria should reconsider cooperation with countries that falsely accuse Nigerians of committing genocide against Christians and try to deepen religious divisions.
Such nations, he argued, should be among the last to benefit from Nigeria’s strategic minerals.
Nigeria should use its natural resources to serve national interests and sovereignty while demanding mutual respect and non-interference from other countries, he concluded.