The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, on behalf of the Federal Government, has revoked 924 inactive mining licenses.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake revealed this information at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, April 24th, 2024.

Among the revoked licences are, 273 small-scale mining licenses, 20 mining leases, 101 quarry licenses, and 528 exploration licenses.

The ministry also revoked 1,633 mineral titles granted to noncompliant mining firms in November last year. The minister further pledged to improve the solid minerals industry for global competitiveness and asked all parties involved to change their ways.

However, at the conference, Alake stated that the ministry made this decision after discovering an issue with license racketeering among the players in the sector

“We ensured that adequate notice was given to the concerned parties through the official gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria no 227, which was published on December 27, 2023,” following constitutional provisions.

“With the purpose of providing clarity on the reason the license went dormant, this notice offered all relevant parties thirty days to regularise their status. I hereby revoke the 924 dormant licenses in light of the aforementioned, demonstrating our devotion to fair evaluation and due process, as well as the conventional principle of “use it or lose it.”

Read Also: Transfer: Napoli Considers Moffi as a Replacement for Osimhen