Obadiah Simon Nkom, Director General of the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), has stated that the agency only revokes licences that fail to meet its compliance requirements.
Nkom made this clarification while refuting allegations that the agency arbitrarily revokes licences despite guaranteeing security of tenure. He emphasised that any licence holder who fails to adhere to the ‘Use It or Lose It’ principle risks having their licence revoked.
During his presentation titled Role of the Nigerian Mining Cadastre in the Growth and Development of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals at the Nigeria Mining Week, which concluded on Wednesday, Nkom explained that the MCO operates on a first-come, first-served basis.
“In cases of non-compliance, we take necessary actions against titleholders, including issuing defaulters’ notices, publishing these notices in national newspapers, announcing the intention to revoke, and, with the Honourable Minister’s approval, finalising the revocation of titles,” he stated.
The purpose, he noted, is to discourage speculative hoarding of mineral resources and to promote the active and sustainable utilisation of mining titles.
Nkom also highlighted the achievements of the agency, established under the 2007 Mining Act. He disclosed that, as of November, the MCO had surpassed its 2024 revenue target of ₦10 billion.
He added that the agency has adopted the eMC+ electronic platform to enhance transparency and objectivity. Since the adoption of the system, the agency has received 14,527 applications, including 5,952 unassisted and 8,576 assisted submissions. The aim, he said, is full adoption of the eMC+ platform by all applicants.
Addressing claims that the agency had raised licence fees by over 5,000 per cent, Nkom denied this, stating, “We did not increase the cost of licences. We reviewed them to ensure accountability and create space for serious miners only.”
