Nigeria Accuses Jupit Ltd of Discrediting Tinubu Visit

The Federal Government of Nigeria has accused Jupit Ltd of planning a campaign to embarrass President Bola Tinubu during his state visit to the United Kingdom. This allegation was made by Segun Tomori, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, who described the claims as falsehoods aimed at discrediting ongoing reforms in the mining sector.

The controversy stems from the revocation of mining licenses belonging to Basin Mine Ltd, a Nigerian company linked to Australian national Steve Davi, due to their failure to meet statutory financial obligations, specifically an unpaid service fee of N2.494 billion for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Tomori emphasized that Nigerian mining law prohibits foreign companies from directly holding mining titles and dismissed claims that the licenses were reassigned to a Chinese firm.

The government is committed to reforming the mining sector, which is seen as a key driver of economic growth, and will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine these efforts.