Niger’s broken promise: how SOMAÏR and SONIDEP failures are reshaping daily life under military rule
At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Niger’s military-appointed Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, delivered yet another familiar performance: a full-throated sovereignty speech. Before a gathering of international envoys, the junta’s frontman repeated the well-worn slogans of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP): “reclaiming national resources,” “economic independence,” and “breaking with neocolonialism.”
But once the cameras stopped rolling and the rhetoric faded, the harsh reality of the numbers caught up with the generals in Niamey. Under General Abdourahamane Tiani and his government, Niger’s economic crown jewels are sinking into chaos. Behind the patriotic veneer, the industrial record of SOMAÏR and SONIDEP reveals a financial disaster that is increasingly costing the Nigerian people dearly.
The SOMAÏR collapse: from “reclaiming” to uranium’s cardiac arrest
For decades, uranium from Arlit fueled a narrative of resentment. By taking operational control of the Aïr Mining Company (SOMAÏR) and sidelining its historic French partner Orano, Tiani and his circle promised a financial windfall for the country.
The on-the-ground result has been catastrophic: uranium production has plummeted by roughly 80% since the new authorities took over.
- Broken supply chains: The inability to deliver essential chemical reagents (such as sulfuric acid) and logistical blockages at borders have paralyzed the Arlit site.
- Commercial bottleneck: Lacking solid distribution networks and reliable export certificates, tons of uranium concentrate (yellowcake) remain stockpiled on site, unsellable.
- Immediate social impact: Local subcontractors go unpaid, jobs evaporate, and the tax revenues expected to fund hospitals or schools have turned into a mirage.
Changing the flag on a factory gate does not make its machines run. In mining engineering, amateur slogans are no substitute for technical expertise and sound management.
SONIDEP and the mystery of the 25 billion FCFA black hole
If uranium management is a shipwreck, the oil file borders on state scandal. The Nigerian Petroleum Products Company (SONIDEP), propelled by the CNSP to the heart of the crude marketing strategy—notably via the new giant pipeline to Benin’s coast—was supposed to be the financial engine of this new era.
Yet, according to internal balance sheets and progress reports, SONIDEP is showing an abysmal loss estimated at over 25 billion CFA francs.
That figure alone illustrates the failure of the military management model: on one side, SOMAÏR sees its production collapse by nearly 80%, destroying the added value of the uranium sector; on the other, SONIDEP, meant to harvest the fruits of national oil, is racking up a record deficit of 25 billion FCFA instead of filling state coffers. Together, these two public flagships symbolize a system of evaporating public resources under the guise of illusory nationalism.
How does a national company holding a monopoly on black gold distribution—in a country supposedly becoming a major oil exporter—manage to accumulate such a financial abyss? The absence of certified accounting statements and the oil ministry’s radio silence fuel every suspicion: mismanagement, dubious negotiated contracts, improvised intermediaries, and overbilling.
Sovereignty cannot be a screen for incompetence
Faced with this industrial rout, the Tiani-Zeine tandem’s reflex is well-oiled: systematically blame ECOWAS, international sanctions, the “invisible hand of imperialism,” or the management of previous regimes.
At some point, the leaders led by Abdourahamane Tiani must answer to their people:
- Where are the audit reports promised with great fanfare after the July 2023 coup?
- How are Niger’s oil and uranium sales contracts actually negotiated?
- What exactly are the rare revenues collected by the public treasury used for if major state companies are going bankrupt?
The true sovereignty of a people is measured by actions and concrete results: public companies that create value, salaries paid on time, investments in basic services, and full transparency on public finances.
By using the patriotic argument to mask the failures of SOMAÏR and SONIDEP, the CNSP distorts the very meaning of the word sovereignty. The Nigerian people do not feed on speeches at the UN: they need an economy that works.
