The Federal Government has revoked no fewer than 1,263 mineral licences through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, in a continued effort to sanitise the sector and enforce regulatory compliance.
According to a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Segun Tomori, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, the revoked licences will be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office.
The breakdown includes 584 exploration licences, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licences, and 470 small-scale mining leases.
Alake explained that the decision was prompted by the failure of the affected licence holders to fulfil their obligation of paying annual service fees, a basic requirement for holding mineral titles.
This revocation adds to the 3,794 mineral titles cancelled under the current administration so far. These include 619 titles previously revoked due to non-payment of fees and 912 revoked for dormancy in the previous year.
By freeing up these areas, the Ministry anticipates a wave of new applications from serious investors seeking access to viable mining locations.
The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government. These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”
Alake, who approved the revocation following a recommendation from the MCO, emphasized the government’s commitment to applying the law to eliminate speculative operators and attract credible investors into the mining industry.
“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 license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” he said.
He warned that this action does not absolve the affected companies of their financial obligations to the government, stating that the list of defaulters would be forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for debt recovery and possible prosecution.
“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities,” he added.
Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, in his recommendation to the minister, revealed that the agency had identified 1,957 initial defaulters when it published a notice of intention to revoke in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.
He noted that the gazette was distributed across MCO offices nationwide to create awareness and give licence holders a 30-day window to comply, in accordance with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, and relevant regulations.
Nkom explained that the delay in implementing the final revocation was caused by complaints from several licence holders who claimed to have made payments via the Remita platform, prompting a reconciliation process.
Earlier this month, the MCO DG hinted that additional licences would be cancelled as part of a broader effort to sanitise the mining sector and shield genuine investors from fraudulent actors.
According to him, the clean-up targets expired, speculative, and inactive titles, which must be removed to create room for credible operators and ensure compliance with established laws.
These reforms, initiated under the Tinubu administration, aim to reposition the solid minerals sector. Despite resistance from affected parties, Alake noted that the reforms are already yielding visible results.
