The Federal Government has accused an embattled mining company, Jupiter Ltd, of plotting a smear campaign against Nigeria during the forthcoming visit of President Bola Tinubu to the United Kingdom.
The allegation was made on Sunday by the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, which said the company planned to circulate misleading claims aimed at undermining Nigeria’s reputation and ongoing reforms in the country’s mining sector.
In a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, the ministry said the alleged campaign followed its recent rebuttal of claims published under the headline “Nigeria Seizes British Lithium Project Under Armed Guard.”
Tomori explained that the ministry had earlier addressed the publication through a response authored by the Special Adviser to the Minister, Kehinde Bamigbetan, titled “In Nigeria’s Mining Sector, The Law Is No Respecter of Persons.” The response, according to him, clarified what the government described as misinformation sponsored by Jupiter Ltd.
“We made it unequivocally clear that the allegations are baseless and unfounded,” Tomori stated.
He stressed that the Federal Government, through the ministry and the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office, has no legal or contractual relationship with any entity known as Jupiter Lithium.
He added that the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007 prohibits the direct issuance of mining licences to foreign companies.
According to the ministry, the controversy stemmed from the revocation of mineral titles belonging to Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian-registered company allegedly fronted by an Australian national identified as Mr. Davis.
Tomori said the revocation followed the company’s failure to meet statutory obligations, particularly the payment of annual service fees as required under existing mining regulations.
“The mineral titles were revoked after due notice was served on the company in accordance with the law governing defaults in the payment of annual service fees,” he explained.
He disclosed that Basin Mining Ltd owed the government ₦2.494 billion in unpaid statutory service fees covering mineral titles numbered 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML and 40533ML for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.
The ministry also rejected claims that the revoked licences had been reassigned to a Chinese firm, describing the allegation as entirely fabricated.
“Jupiter, though unknown to mining authorities, peddled falsehoods by claiming that its titles were revoked in favour of a Chinese firm. This is a complete fabrication,” Tomori said.
Beyond the dispute over licences, the government further accused Davis of operating through multiple companies to acquire mineral titles without engaging in actual mining activities.
The companies allegedly linked to the arrangement include Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd and Iron Ore Mining Ltd.
According to the ministry, such practices encourage speculation in the sector, where licences are acquired and held without meaningful investment in mining operations, thereby blocking serious investors with the capacity to develop the industry.
Tomori said the Tinubu administration would not tolerate activities capable of undermining reforms aimed at repositioning the solid minerals sector as a major contributor to Nigeria’s economy.
“The nefarious activities of the past that stunted the growth of the mining sector will no longer be tolerated,” he said.
He added that the government remained committed to strengthening regulatory compliance and attracting credible investors to the sector.
The ministry urged Nigerians and members of the international community to disregard what it described as attempts by “discredited individuals” to discredit the reforms currently underway 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,” Tomori said.
He reaffirmed that Nigeria remains open to legitimate investors willing to operate within the country’s legal and regulatory framework.
As part of efforts to boost investment in the mining sector, Tomori noted that the government had introduced several incentives, including tax waivers on imported mining equipment and policies allowing the full repatriation of profits by investors.
The reforms, he added, are aimed at improving the ease of doing business and ensuring that the mining industry contributes significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
