The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals has strongly warned illegal miners to desist from their economic sabotaging activities nothing that it has revoked 1,633 licenses of Defaulters of Mineral Titles Holders.

Speaking to newsmen yesterday at a press briefing held at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja on major policies and decisions taken by the Ministry, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Oladele Alake stated that it was indeed very unconscionable for corporate bodies making huge profits from mining to refuse to give the Government its due by failing to pay their annual service fee.

Alake while reading the riot act said, “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work with the Mines Inspectorate of the Ministry to apprehend any defaulter found on any of the areas where titles have been revoked.”

He said that it was indeed a reasonable conjecture that such a company will even be more unwilling to pay royalties and honour its tax obligations to the Government adding that the amount the companies were being asked to pay is peanut compared to their own revenue projections.

He said that the solidarity of the Nigerian Press and the Nigerian Public on solid minerals matters has led to the national resolve which has injected fresh vigour to its stamina and preparedness to execute reforms with impactful alacrity and unity of purpose.

Saying that, “We shall continue to carry all stakeholders along in this rescue mission and shall always ensure that we are fair to all concerned. However, we don’t intend to bend or break the rules whenever and wherever there are violations and non-compliance. Rather, we shall make such cases the examples for others to emulate.”

Explaining the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007 and the Administration of Mineral Titles, the Minister explained that every sector requires a governance system that regulates the conduct of its participants, the procedures for entry and exit, the obligations of the Government to participants and the penalties for non-compliance.

He said that this philosophy of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 was to establish a rational system of administering titles transparently and comprehensively to ensure a seamless transition from reconnaissance to exploration and from exploration to mineral extraction.

“The principal agency for the administration of titles is the Mining Cadastral Office which receives applications, evaluates them and issues titles with the approval of the office of the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development. Although the MCO has tried to improve its efficiency by adopting new application administration technology, it continues to face challenges in monitoring the compliance of title holders with the most basic requirements for the maintenance of its operations and sustenance of titles.

“For instance, while Section 10 (a) prescribes payment for processing of applications, Section 10 subsection B provides for the payment of the Annual Service Fee. According to the law:
“The Mining Cadastre Office shall collect- (a) a fee for processing of applications for mineral titles; and
(b) an annual service fee established at a fixed rate per square cadastral unit for
administrative and management services rendered by the Cadastre.” It is indeed very unconscionable for corporate bodies making huge profits from mining to refuse to give the government its due by failing to pay their annual service fee.

“For example, the holder of an exploration title pays only N1,500 per cadastral unit not exceeding 200 units. Those holding titles covering more than 200 units pay N2,000 per unit, In short, the larger the area your title covers, the more you pay. This principle was applied to ensure that applicants don’t hold more than they require to explore. With a cadastral unit captured as a square of 500 metres by 500 metres, any law-abiding title holder should not hesitate to perform its obligations,” he further explained.

He added that these decisions were noble goals of the present administration to sanitise the Solid Minerals sector and position the industry for international competitiveness.

He appealed to all stakeholders for their co-operation in achieving these patriotic objectives and encourage those who have done business in this sector the wrong way to turn a new leaf.

In her closing remarks, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mary Ogbe said that The Ministry is working relentlessly and all hands must be on deck.
“When we continue doing same thing, we will be having same result, let be determined and focus to achieve the desirable goals and objectives”.

“I urge you Press to take the message far and wide even if it would be in another dialect. ” like the Minister of Solid Minerals Development do say, the mining sector is the next petroleum and together we can salvage it.”

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