FG revokes 1,263 mineral licences over unpaid annual service fees

The Federal Government has revoked no fewer than 1,263 mineral licences, which will subsequently be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral System of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office (MCO).

These include 584 exploration licences, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licences, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

A statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Segun Tomori, said that by opening up the areas formerly covered by these licences, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors seeking new opportunities.

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, said that 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 licence because the law allows you to return the licence if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

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“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the licence application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Engr. Simon Nkom, disclosed that 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 licensees and encourage them to comply within 30 days, in line with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He noted 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 and had to be reconciled.

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 attempts at pushback by defaulters and their agents.

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