THE Federal Government has revoked 1,263 mineral licences after the holders failed to pay their annual service fees.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the affected titles—which include 584 exploration licences, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licences, and 470 small-scale mining leases—have been deleted from the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office’s (MCO) electronic system.
The revocation, approved by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake following a recommendation from the MCO, is expected to open up the areas to fresh investors.
The minister said the decision was necessary to discourage speculators and ensure only serious players remain in the sector.
“The era of keeping licences idle for resale while genuine investors lack access to viable sites is over,” Alake said, stressing that payment of the annual service fee is the minimum proof of commitment to mining.
He added that licence holders are free to return their titles voluntarily if they no longer wish to operate.
However, the minister clarified that the cancellation does not erase outstanding debts. The list of defaulters will be forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover the dues or prosecute offenders.
MCO Director-General Simon Nkom explained that the process began with 1,957 defaulting licencees published in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.
Licence holders were given 30 days to settle their fees in line with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2007. Some delays in finalizing the revocations were caused by reconciliation of payments made through Remita.
With this latest action, a total of 3,794 mineral titles have been revoked under the Tinubu administration, including 619 for fee defaults and 912 for dormancy in 2024.
The government insists the reforms are part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the sector despite pushback from defaulters.