A mining firm – Jupiter Ltd – plans to disrupt President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s scheduled visit to the United Kingdom (UK), the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development raised the alarm yesterday.
The ministry alleged that the company was orchestrating the “campaign of calumny” to embarrass the President during the historic two day state visit in the company of his wife, First Lady Oluremi.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host the president and the First Lady at Windsor Castle On Wednesday and Thursday.
The visit is Nigeria’s first state visit in 37 years to Windsor Castle.
But in a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Segun Tomori, the ministry alleged that the company planed to sponsor a protest and media campaign targeted at discrediting the government over the enforcement of mining regulations.
Tomori described the firm’s claims as a “tissue of falsehoods” designed to distract from the government’s efforts to sanitize the mining sector.
According to the statement, the controversy stems from the revocation of mineral titles previously held by Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian company reportedly fronted by Australian national Steve Davis.
The ministry said the licenses were revoked after the company failed to pay statutory annual service fees totaling N2,494,000,000 for mineral titles 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML, and 40533ML for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.
The statement noted that the government has no direct legal relationship with “Jupiter Lithium,” as Nigerian law prohibits granting mining licenses directly to foreign entities.
The statement said: “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. The Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act (NMMA 2007) expressly prohibits the granting of mining licenses to foreign companies.”
The ministry further accused Mr. Davis of being a “mining speculator who manages a web of six different companies to acquire titles without conducting actual operations.
“This practice, the government argues, prevents genuine investors from entering the market and contributes to the rise of illegal mining.
On the rumor that the titles were seized to favor a Chinese firm, the ministry dismissed the claim as a “complete fabrication.”
Tomori further said: “Instead of adhering to Nigerian mining laws, Davis would rather operate surreptitiously as a mining speculator who sets up companies to acquire mineral titles and shortchange the nation.
“Unfortunately for him, the government’s strict application of the regulations caught up with him.”
Insisting that the ongoing reforms are intended to transform the mining sector into a major contributor to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the ministry maintained that federal government would not be intimidated by international pressure or “shows of shame” organised abroad.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria cannot and will not be intimidated or blackmailed into abandoning reforms by the antics of any individual or company.
“The nefarious activities of the past that stunted the growth of the mining sector will no longer be tolerated,” the statement warned.
Despite the crackdown, the ministry reiterated that Nigeria remains open for business, highlighting incentives such as tax waivers on imported equipment and the full repatriation of profits for those who follow the law.
The government urged the international community to disregard the planned protests in the UK, characterising the move as a desperate attempt by discredited individuals to circumvent transparency.
At the weekend, Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, reacted to the falsehoods sponsored by Jupiter Ltd in a publication titled “Nigeria seizes British Lithium project under armed guard.”
In his response titled: “In Nigeria’s mining sector, the law is no respecter of persons”, Bamgbetan exposed the antics of one Steve Davis and Hamish MacDonald, whose deceitful enterprise in the mining sector eventually met the full weight of the law.
