The Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, has countered claims contained in a recent article published by the Telegraph, UK, on Nigeria’s mining sector and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
He argued that the controversy was rooted in the revocation of mining licences belonging to Basin Mining Limited and Range Mining Limited over alleged failure to pay statutory fees to the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office.
According to him, Basin Mining Limited and Range Mining Limited lost their mining licences after failing to pay the required annual service fees, adding that Basin Mining alone owed N1.22 billion in outstanding fees.
Bamigbetan said the affected companies were notified several times to fulfil their obligations before their licences were revoked in accordance with Nigerian mining laws.
The statement added that penalties on the unpaid fees continued to accumulate.
Bamigbetan said the government had provided an opportunity for affected companies to address genuine complaints following the revocation of at least 1,663 mining licences in November 2023.
He stressed that the licence revocations were part of reforms introduced by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, to enforce compliance, improve transparency and clean up the mining sector. He added that the government had invested in the Electronic Mining Cadastre Plus (EMC+) to improve the licensing process.
The Special Adviser accused Jupiter promoter, Steve Davis, of using international platforms to campaign against the Nigerian government instead of resolving the dispute through the appropriate legal and regulatory channels.
He maintained that Jupiter should pursue its grievances through established legal channels, including the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), rather than resort to international publicity over the dispute.
The special adviser accused Jupiter of attempting to portray itself as a victim of government action, stating that the revocation of the licences followed alleged breaches of statutory obligations by its Nigerian partners.
According to him, the minister discovered substantial unpaid statutory fees owed to the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office despite government investments in the Electronic Mining Cadastre Plus (EMC+), an automated system designed to improve mining licence administration and service delivery.
He added that the government opened a three-month restitution window to allow affected operators to present complaints and explain circumstances that might warrant reconsideration.
However, he alleged that Davis discouraged his Nigerian partners from taking advantage of the opportunity and instead threatened to use his international connections to frustrate the Federal Government.
The Ministers aide insisted that the dispute should be viewed within the context of the government’s efforts to enforce mining regulations, promote accountability and recover outstanding statutory payments from operators.
He urged journalists and Media practitioners to be careful exercise when reporting claims made by parties involved in commercial and legal disputes, adding the need for independent verification before publication.
