The Federal Government has accused a mining firm, Jupiter Ltd, of planning a smear campaign against Nigeria during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s upcoming visit to the United Kingdom.
The allegation was made on Sunday by the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, which said the company intends to circulate false claims aimed at discrediting Nigeria and its ongoing reforms in the mining sector.
In a statement issued by Segun Tomori, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, the ministry said the alleged campaign followed the government’s earlier rebuttal of claims made by the company in a publication titled “Nigeria Seizes British Lithium Project Under Armed Guard.”
Tomori explained that a previous response by the minister’s Special Adviser, Kehinde Bamigbetan, titled “In Nigeria’s Mining Sector, The Law Is No Respecter of Persons,” had already dismissed the allegations as baseless.
According to the ministry, the Federal Government has no legal or contractual relationship with any company known as Jupiter Lithium, noting that the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007 prohibits the granting of mining licences directly to foreign companies.
The ministry said the dispute stems from the enforcement of mining regulations, which led to the revocation of mineral titles belonging to Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian firm reportedly linked to an Australian national, Mr. Davis.
It explained that the titles were withdrawn after the company failed to pay statutory annual service fees totaling ₦2.494 billion for several licences covering the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.
The government also dismissed claims that the licences were revoked in favour of a Chinese company, describing the allegation as completely fabricated.
Tomori further alleged that Davis operates through multiple companies—including Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd, and Iron Ore Mining Ltd—to acquire mineral licences without carrying out actual mining operations.
He said such practices encourage speculation in the sector and prevent genuine investors from accessing opportunities in Nigeria’s mining industry.
The ministry maintained that the current administration would not tolerate activities that undermine the development of the sector, stressing that reforms introduced under President Tinubu are aimed at repositioning mining as a major contributor to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
While urging the public and the international community to disregard what it described as misleading claims, the government reiterated that Nigeria remains open to investors willing to operate within its legal framework. It added that incentives such as tax waivers on imported mining equipment and full repatriation of profits have been introduced to encourage responsible investment in the sector.
