The federal government has alleged that a mining firm, Jupiter Ltd, is planning a campaign aimed at embarrassing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom.
The government said the company intends to circulate false allegations aimed at discrediting Nigeria and the ongoing reforms in the mining sector.
In a statement by Segun Tomori, special Assistant on media to the minister of solid minerals development, the ministry said the planned smear campaign followed a recent rebuttal of what it described as false claims sponsored by Jupiter Ltd in a publication titled “Nigeria Seizes British Lithium Project Under Armed Guard.”
Tomori noted that an earlier response by the Special Adviser to the Minister, Kehinde Bamigbetan, titled “In Nigeria’s Mining Sector, The Law Is No Respecter of Persons,” had already debunked the allegations.
Tomori said: “We made it unequivocally clear that the allegations are baseless and unfounded. The Federal Government, through the Ministry and the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office (NMCO), has no legal or contractual relationship with any company known as Jupiter Lithium, as the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act (NMMA 2007) expressly prohibits the granting of mining licences to foreign companies.
“The bone of contention is the strict application of regulations governing the mining sector, which necessitated the revocation of mineral titles belonging to a Nigerian company, Basin Mining Ltd, fronted by the said Mr. Davis, an Australian national.
“The revocation was done after due notice was served on the company in line with extant laws on default in payment of annual service fees.
“Hence, the mineral titles were revoked due to failure to pay statutory annual service fees amounting to Two Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety-Four Million Naira (₦2,494,000,000) for mineral titles 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML, and 40533ML for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.
“Jupiter, though unknown to the mining authorities, peddled falsehoods by claiming that its titles were revoked in favour of a Chinese firm. This is a complete fabrication!”
Tomori also alleged that Davis operates through multiple companies to acquire mineral licences without conducting actual mining operations, thereby denying genuine investors access to the sector.
The companies listed include Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd and Iron Ore Mining Ltd.
He added, “Such practices worsen Nigeria’s challenge of illegal mining, as speculators obtain licences without undertaking actual mining operations, thereby denying serious investors with genuine capital the opportunity to develop the sector.
“The nefarious activities of the past that stunted the growth of the mining sector will no longer be tolerated by the Tinubu administration. Ongoing reforms that have repositioned the sector and attracted growing global interest have come to stay.
He urged Nigerians and members of the international community to disregard what he described as attempts by “discredited individuals” to undermine ongoing reforms in the mining industry.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria cannot and will not be intimidated or blackmailed into abandoning reforms by the antics of any individual or company.
Our commitment to transforming the mining sector into a major contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is unwavering.
“Nigeria remains open to serious investors who are willing to operate within the framework of our laws and regulations. To encourage responsible investment, the government has introduced incentives such as tax waivers on imported mining equipment, full repatriation of profits, and other measures aimed at enhancing the ease of doing business in the sector.”