The Federal Government has revoked 1,633 mineral titles due to non-compliance of the mining companies to pay mandatory annual service fees of N1,500 per cadastral unit.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, announced this during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said, “The Mining Cadastre Office has recommended the revocation of 1,633 mineral titles as follows: Exploration Licence, 536; Quarry Licence, 279; Small Scale Mining Licence, 787 and Mining Lease, 31.
“In line with the powers conferred on me by the NMMA 2007, Section 5 (a), I have approved the revocation of the 1,633 titles. I hereby warn the previous holders of these titles to leave the relevant cadaster with immediate effect as security agencies shall work with the Mines Inspectorate of the Ministry to apprehend any defaulter found in any of the areas where titles have been revoked.
While explaining further, Alake said, that Sections 11 and 12 of the NMMA 2007 state in clear terms as follows a mineral title shall become liable to revocation where the holder thereof has failed to pay the prescribed fees.
“In case of default of payment of the annual service fee due to the Mining Cadastre Office, the Mining Cadastre Office shall give a thirty-day written default notice to the defaulting party and, if payment is not effected during that period, the Mining Cadastre Office shall record the default and revoke the mineral title.”
Alake added that the revocation which was inspired by the provisions of the Law, the EMC+, the title administration portal of the MCO automatically notifies every mineral title holder of its obligation to pay the annual service as at when due.
“This is the first administrative alert signal that every mineral title holder receives and should ordinarily prompt the company to settle its obligation.”
“The Law has also put in place a procedure for notification by providing that MCO issues a 30-day notice and the means to perform the procedure.”
“Any notice required to be sent by the Mining Cadastre Office to an applicant for, or holder of a mineral title shall be sent by courier service or registered mail to the last known address in Nigeria of the mineral titleholder or given in person to an authorized representative of the applicant or holder of the mineral title in Nigeria or published in the Gazette.”
“The notice shall for all purposes be sufficient notice of the subject matter of the notice to the applicant for or holder of a mineral title.”
In compliance with the law, the MCO on October 4, 2023, began the process of revoking 2,213 titles.
“These included 795 Exploration titles, 956 Small Scale Mining Licences, 364 Quarry licences and 98 Mining Leases. These were published in the Federal Government Gazette Number 178, Volume 110 of October 10, 2023, with the notice of revocation for defaulting in the payment of Annual Service Fee.”
“The mandatory 30 days expired on November 10, 2023. Only 580 titleholders responded by settling their indebtedness. With this development, the MCO recommended the revocation of 1, 633 mineral titles as follows: Exploration Licence, 536; Quarry Licence, 279; Small Scale Mining Licence, 787 and Mining Lease, 31.”
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