Nigeria Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licences Over Default

The Federal Government has announced the revocation of 1,263 mineral licenses across the country as part of its ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and enforce compliance with extant laws.

The announcement was made on Sunday in Abuja by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori.

According to the minister, the revoked titles comprise 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases. These licenses will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office.

Alake explained that the revocation was approved following recommendations from the MCO after the affected companies failed to comply with the mandatory payment of their annual service fees. He said the measure is part of the ministry’s strategy to weed out speculators and unserious operators from the mining sector, thereby creating space for genuine investors.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for speculative purposes is over,” the minister declared. Financially capable and industrious businessmen who are ready to work should have access to sites. The annual service fee is the minimum evidence of seriousness in mining. Those who are no longer interested in mining are free to return their licenses rather than hold them idle.”

The minister further clarified that the revocation does not extinguish the debts owed by the defaulting licensees. Instead, the list of defaulters will be forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for debt recovery and possible prosecution. “This will encourage due diligence and deter speculative activities that clog the licensing system,” Alake stressed.

With the latest action, the Tinubu administration has now revoked a total of 3,794 mineral titles since assuming office. This includes 619 titles revoked last year for failure to pay annual service fees and 912 licenses revoked for dormancy.

Alake emphasised that opening up the areas covered by the revoked licenses will attract fresh applications and stimulate new investments. He noted that the reforms are already having a salutary effect on the mining sector despite attempts by defaulters and their allies to resist.

Providing details of the revocation process, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, said that an initial 1,957 licensees were listed as defaulters when the agency published its intention to revoke titles in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025. The gazette was circulated nationwide to MCO offices to sensitise license holders and provide a 30-day compliance window in line with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

Nkom explained that the delay in finalising the revocation list was due to the need to reconcile payments by some licensees who claimed to have remitted their fees through the Treasury Single Account (TSA) platform, Remita. He said only those who failed to provide verifiable evidence of payment were eventually recommended for revocation.

Earlier this month, the DG had hinted at the government’s determination to intensify the cleanup of the mining sector. He said expired, speculative, and inactive licenses distort the industry and prevent serious investors from accessing viable mining sites.

“This exercise is critical to restoring confidence in the solid minerals sector. By clearing out dormant and speculative titles, we are creating opportunities for credible investors and ensuring that the law is fully enforced,” Nkom said.

The Federal Government has repeatedly stressed that revoking licenses is not punitive but a necessary step to ensure order, transparency, and accountability in the mining sector. The ongoing reforms, officials say, are already repositioning solid minerals as a major contributor to Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.