Govt Revokes 3,400 Miners Operational Licences

An agency under the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Nigeria Mining Cadastre says it has revoked 3,400 operational licences belonging to operators of the sector in the last two years.

The licenes were revoked for their failure to meet up with operational guidelines as stipulated by provisions of the law.

The Director General/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigeria Mining Cadastre office Engr. Obadiah Simeon Nkom disclosed this while answering questions from journalists in Calabar at a sensitization workshop with critical stakeholders in Cross River State.

Engr. Nkom said the 3,400 operational licenses were between the year 2021 and 2022 because the licence owners failed to abide by the Operational guidelines stipulated by the law.

Nkom explained that the one day sensitisation workshop for stakeholders was particularly focussed on the adoption of electronic Mining Cadastre System –eMC Plus, adding that the system if adopted is capable of adding value to the sector.

The CEO maintained that licenses were revoked particularly if the operator failed to remedy the situation within the period of 30days.

“We follow those procedures, if the operator doesn’t complete anything we are doing, we are doing it in line with the law,it’s the reason we have 100 percent success in litigation.”

The CEO averred that arrangements were on ground to publish another list of defaulters that would be gazetted.

He assured that at the end of sensitization, every stakeholders will know how to use that system before the launching of the portal which will be taking place in Abuja during the Nigerian Mining week November 1, 2022 stressing that the zonal offices will still be operational where they will be able to key in and continue to familiarize themselves to get used to the system.