Dele Alake revokes 1,263 mineral licenses, opening fresh investment opportunities in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector

Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, has announced the revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses, citing non-compliance with the payment of annual service fees.

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The licenses, which will be removed from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

Announcing the directive through his special assistant on media, Segun Tomori, Alake emphasised that the revocation is part of a wider effort to eliminate speculative and inactive license holdings and encourage serious investors.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder is over. The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are committed to mining,” the minister stated.

The latest action brings the total number of mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3,794, including 619 revoked for defaulting on annual fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

Alake explained that the revocation will not absolve licensees of their outstanding debts. The list of defaulters will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure compliance.

Director-General of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, Simon Nkom, noted that 1,957 defaulters were initially identified following the publication of the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025. Some defaulters’ payments had to be reconciled, which delayed the final action.

The clean-up initiative is intended to open previously locked areas to diligent investors and protect the sector from fraudsters, while reinforcing compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007.

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Since the inception of the Tinubu administration, the solid minerals sector has been undergoing reforms, and the revocation exercise is expected to spur fresh applications and renewed investor confidence.