The Federal Government has alleged that an embattled mining firm, Jupiter Ltd, planned to launch a “campaign of calumny” against Nigeria during President Bola Tinubu’s upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development said the purported move aimed to discredit government reforms in the mining sector and mislead the international community over revoked mineral licences.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Segun Tomori, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, dismissed claims that Nigeria seized a British lithium project under armed guard as “false and misleading.” He stressed that Nigeria has no legal or contractual relationship with any company called Jupiter Lithium, noting that the country’s mining laws prohibit foreign companies from directly holding mineral titles.
According to the ministry, the controversy arose from the revocation of mineral licences belonging to Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian company associated with Australian national Steve Davis, who allegedly fronts multiple mining firms in Nigeria. The revocations followed the company’s failure to pay statutory annual service fees of N2.494 billion for 2024 and 2025, covering several mineral titles.
Tomori described claims that the licences were reassigned to a Chinese firm as a fabrication, saying Jupiter Ltd’s efforts were intended to mislead both Nigerians and the international community. The ministry accused Davis of operating through multiple shell companies—Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd, and Iron Ore Mining Ltd—often acquiring mineral titles without undertaking actual mining operations.
“The nefarious activities of the past that stunted the growth of the mining sector will no longer be tolerated by the Tinubu administration,” the statement read. “Our commitment to transforming the mining sector into a major contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is unwavering.”
The ministry reaffirmed that Nigeria remains open to responsible investors who comply with mining laws, highlighting incentives such as tax waivers on imported mining equipment and full repatriation of profits. These reforms, it said, have already attracted growing international interest, particularly in lithium, a key resource for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage technologies.
President Tinubu is scheduled to make a historic state visit to the UK from March 18 to 19, 2026, at the invitation of King Charles III, marking the first Nigerian presidential state visit in 37 years. The trip is expected to focus on strengthening diplomatic and economic ties, including trade, investment, security, and migration cooperation.
The Federal Government urged Nigerians and international stakeholders to disregard what it described as “discredited attempts” to undermine the ongoing reforms and reiterated its commitment to transparency, accountability, and investor confidence in the mining sector.
