FG exposes plot to embarrass Tinubu during UK state visit

The federal government has raised the alarm over alleged plot by a mining company, Jupiter Ltd, to orchestrate a “campaign of calumny” against Nigeria during the planned state visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the United Kingdom.

It said the move was targeted at discrediting ongoing reforms in the mining sector, and ultimately misinform the international community about the circumstances surrounding the revocation of certain mineral licences.

Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, announced this in a statement Sunday in Abuja.

President Tinubu is billed for a state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026, following an invitation from King Charles III, who will host the Nigerian leader at Windsor Castle.

The visit is, among others, expected to mainly focus on strengthening diplomatic and economic ties – bordering on cooperation in trade, investment, security and migration between both countries.

…FG on alleged plot

Responding to an alleged move to botch the visit via a campaign of calumny, the federal government said the allegation that Nigeria seized a British lithium project under armed guard was baseless, describing it as both false and misleading.

The statement further said the government had no legal or contractual relationship with any company known as Jupiter Lithium, clarifying that the Nigerian mining laws forbid foreign companies from directly holding mineral titles.

“It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development that an embattled mining firm, Jupiter Ltd, plans to orchestrate a campaign of calumny against the Federal Government of Nigeria during the state visit of President Bola Tinubu to the United Kingdom.

“Earlier in the week, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, authored a response to what we described as a tissue of falsehoods sponsored by Jupiter Ltd in a publication titled ‘Nigeria Seizes British Lithium Project Under Armed Guard.

“Our response, titled ‘In Nigeria’s Mining Sector, The Law Is No Respecter of Persons,’ exposed the activities of one Steve Davis and Hamish MacDonald, whose enterprise in the mining sector eventually met the full weight of the law,” the statement said.

The federal government said the controversy stemmed from the revocation of mineral titles belonging to Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian company linked to an Australian national, Steve Davis.

It clarified that the revocation followed the company’s failure to meet statutory financial obligations under Nigeria’s mining regulations.

“We made it unequivocally clear that the allegations are baseless and unfounded. The federal government, through the ministry and the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office (NMCO) has no legal or contractual relationship with any company known as Jupiter Lithium as the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act (NMMA 2007) expressly prohibits the granting of mining licences to foreign companies.

“The bone of contention is the strict application of regulations governing the mining sector, which necessitated the revocation of mineral titles belonging to a Nigerian company, Basin Mining Ltd, fronted by the said Davis, an Australian national. The revocation was done after due notice was served on the company in line with extant laws on default in payment of annual service fees.

“Hence, the mineral titles were revoked due to failure to pay statutory annual service fees amounting to two billion, four hundred and ninety-four million naira (N2,494,000,000) for mineral titles 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML and 40533ML for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.

“Jupiter though unknown to the mining authorities, peddled falsehoods by claiming that its titles were revoked in favour of a Chinese firm. This is a complete fabrication!

“Instead of adhering to Nigerian mining laws, Davis would rather operate surreptitiously as a mining speculator who sets up companies to acquire mineral titles and shortchange the nation. Unfortunately for him and his like, the government’s strict application of the regulations caught up with them.”

“The same Davis is a director in six such companies namely Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd, and Iron Ore Mining Ltd through which he held several licences but chose to cry blue murder when the law caught up with one of his companies for defaulting on statutory obligations.

“Such practices worsen Nigeria’s challenge of illegal mining, as speculators obtain licences without undertaking actual mining operations, thereby denying serious investors with genuine capital the opportunity to develop the sector.”

It said the nefarious activities of the past that stunted the growth of the mining sector would no longer be tolerated by the Tinubu administration.

“We therefore urge Nigerians and the international communities to be wary of the impending show of shame by a few discredited individuals who are bent on circumventing the federal government’s resolve to restore sanity and transparency to the mining sector.

“The federal government cannot and will not be intimidated or blackmailed into abandoning reforms by the antics of any individual or company. Our commitment to transforming the mining sector into a major contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is unwavering.

“Nigeria remains open to serious investors who are willing to operate within the framework of our laws and regulations,” the statement further added.