FG To Revoke Over 1,000 Dormant Mining Licences

The federal government will soon revoke more than 1,000 dormant mining licences in its latest effort to reform Nigeria’s mining sector and eliminate speculative hoarding of mineral rights, minister of solid minerals development Dele Alake said.
Speaking at the maiden National Steel Summit in Abuja, Alake recalled that in May 2024, the government revoked 924 inactive licences, comprising 528 exploration licences, 20 mining leases, 101 quarry licences, and 273 small-scale mining licences. He accused some licence holders of using the permits to fuel a black market for mining titles rather than advancing mineral development.
“To clean up our licencing system, I had to revoke over 900 licences which were dormant titles,” Alake told delegates. “Very shortly I am going to announce another over 1,000 licences that will be revoked.”
The minister said the Tinubu administration aims to transform the solid minerals sector from a playground for opportunists into a driver of industrial growth, job creation, and national prosperity. He stressed that reforms in the ministry would align directly with steel sector development, noting that the steel value chain begins with mining.
“Our mineral policies must directly feed into steel production capacity. This mutual dependency must be synergised and tailored to the development priorities of this government,” he said.
Minister of industry, trade and investment Jumoke Oduwole, said her ministry is implementing targeted reforms to boost industrialisation, manufacturing, and innovation. She emphasised that Nigeria’s resources must be processed locally to create jobs, build industrial capacity, and ensure long-term economic resilience.
Minister of steel development Shuaibu Audu, described the steel industry as the “backbone of industrialisation,” providing essential materials for construction, automobiles, electronics, shipbuilding, military equipment, and telecommunications. He noted that despite Nigeria’s abundance of steel-making raw materials, the lack of operational integrated steel plants has slowed growth.