The federal government has revoked 1,263 mining licences over failure to pay annual service fees.
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In a statement on Sunday, Segun Tomori, special assistant on media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, said the affected licences will be deleted from the electronic mining cadastral system portal managed by the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office (MCO).
According to him, the revoked titles include 584 exploration licences, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licences, and 470 small-scale mining leases. He explained that the measure is designed to free up areas for fresh applications from serious investors.
âThe latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3,794Â including 619 revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year,â Tomori said.
âThis is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the effects of the reforms are already manifest despite pushback from defaulters and their agents.â
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said the action was aimed at eliminating speculators and ensuring that only diligent investors operate in the sector.
âThe era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder while capable businessmen are complaining of access to good sites is over,â Alake said. âThe annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You donât have to wait for us to revoke the licence because the law allows you to return it if you change your mind.â
He added that the revocation does not absolve licensees of their outstanding obligations, warning that the list of defaulters would be forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for recovery or prosecution.
In his recommendation to the minister, Simon Nkom, director-general of the MCO, disclosed that 1,957 initial defaulters were identified when the office published its intention to revoke licences in the federal government gazette on June 19, 2025. He said the publication gave licensees 30 days to comply, in line with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.
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