The Nigerian government said it has revoked the operating licence of 1,263 mining title holders over failure to pay their annual service fees.
Segun Tomori, the special assistant on media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
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“Not less than 1,263 mineral licences will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office (MCO) following their revocation by the federal government,” the statement said.
Mr Tomori said these revocations include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.
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By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licences, he said, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.
Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, according to the statement, Mr Alake said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.
“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites is over.
“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” Mr Alake said.
He warned that the revocation does not mean the federal government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, noting that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.
“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities,” he added.
In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, said there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the federal government gazette on June 19, 2025.
He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.
He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints from several licensees who claimed to have paid to the federal government through Remita, which had to be reconciled.
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According to the statement, the latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3,794, including 619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.
“This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents,” the statement said.
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