Government Cancels 1,633 Mining Rights

Mr. Dele Alake, the Minister in Charge of Solid Minerals Development, has declared that 1,633 mineral title holders have lost their rights to the relevant cadastre and must leave the areas at once.

He said that the security forces, working together with the Ministry’s Mines Inspectorate, have the power to arrest any offenders who remain in the revoked zones.

At a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Alake stated that the reason for the revocation was the holders’ inability to pay the required annual service fees on time.

He added that the holders had ignored a 30-day written warning from the Mining Cadastre Office and had failed to fulfil their legal duties to the government.