Again, Federal Government Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licences Over Unpaid Fees

The Federal Government has revoked 1,263 mineral licences owed to non-payment of yearly work fees, arsenic portion of efforts to betterment and sanitise Nigeria’s mining sector.

In a connection released Sunday successful Abuja, Segun Tomori, Special Assistant connected Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, confirmed the revocation, which affected assorted categories of mineral titles. The affected licences see 584 exploration licences, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licences, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The licences volition present beryllium deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System (eMC+) operated by the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office (MCO).

“By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur caller applications by investors looking for caller opportunities,” Tomori stated.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, approved the revocation based connected recommendations from the MCO. He emphasised that enforcing the instrumentality was indispensable to discourage speculators and pull superior investors.

“The epoch of obtaining licences and keeping them successful drawers for the highest bidder portion financially susceptible and industrious businessmen are complaining of entree to bully sites is over,” Dr. Alake said.

“The yearly work interest is the minimum grounds that you are funny successful mining. You don’t person to hold for america to revoke the licence due to the fact that the instrumentality allows you to instrumentality the licence if you alteration your mind,” helium added.

He warned that revocation does not absolve licence holders from their fiscal obligations, revealing that the database of defaulters would beryllium sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further action.

“This is to promote owed diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the licence exertion processes with speculative activities,” helium added.

Providing inheritance to the decision, Director-General of the MCO, Engr. Simon Nkom, said that 1,957 licensees were initially listed for revocation erstwhile the volition was published successful the Federal Government Gazette connected June 19, 2025.

Licensees were fixed a 30-day model to comply, successful enactment with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

He besides noted that delays successful the last determination stemmed from the request to verify claims by immoderate licensees who said they had made payments via the REMITA platform.

This latest enactment brings the full fig of licenCes revoked nether the existent medication to 3,794. This includes 619 licences revoked past twelvemonth for interest defaults and 912 for dormancy.

The revocation was portion of a broader effort by the President Bola Tinubu medication to cleanable up the mining assemblage contempt absorption from defaulters and their associates. Authorities accidental the reforms were already producing significant, positive results.