The Federal Government has revoked 1,263 mineral licences due to default in the payment of annual service fees.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, approved the revocation following a recommendation from the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office (MCO). The decision was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori.
According to the statement, the revoked titles include 584 exploration licences, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licences, and 470 small-scale mining leases.
Dr. Alake stated that the action aligns with ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to sanitise the mining sector and promote serious investment.
“The annual service fee is the minimum indication of interest in mining activities. There’s no need to wait for revocation; the law allows holders to voluntarily return licences if they’re no longer interested,” the minister explained.
He added that the affected licences will be deleted from the MCO’s Electronic Mining Cadastral System, thereby opening up the previously held areas to new and more committed investors.
“This move is expected to spur fresh applications from genuine investors and discourage speculative practices that hinder sectoral growth,” he said.
Alake emphasised that the era of hoarding licences for resale to the highest bidder is over, warning that licences should not be treated as commodities for speculation while capable and industrious investors lack access to viable sites.
He also made it clear that revocation does not pardon the outstanding fees, noting that the list of defaulters will be submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure recovery of owed payments.
“This is to promote due diligence and underscore the consequences of flooding the system with speculative licence applications,” Alake warned.
Providing context, Tomori revealed that the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, had earlier informed the minister that 1,957 initial defaulters were identified and published for revocation in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.
The Gazette was distributed across MCO offices nationwide to notify affected parties and encourage compliance within the stipulated 30-day period, in line with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.
Tomori further noted that a total of 3,794 mineral titles have been revoked under the Tinubu administration to date. This includes 619 titles revoked for non-payment of annual service fees and 912 for dormancy in the previous year.
In August, Dr. Alake had announced plans to revoke over 1,000 licences to reposition the solid minerals sector as a key driver of national industrial growth and regional economic leadership.
He reaffirmed that the Tinubu administration is committed to building a mining sector that generates employment, supports local industries, and contributes significantly to national prosperity.
— (NAN)
