The Federal Government has accused a mining company, Jupiter Limited, of planning a smear campaign against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his official visit to the United Kingdom.
In a statement released by Segun Tomori, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, the government alleged that the company intends to spread damaging claims to undermine ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s mining sector.
Tomori said the ministry became aware that Jupiter Ltd, described as an “embattled mining firm,” was preparing negative publicity against the Federal Government during the president’s trip.
According to him, the campaign is an attempt to discredit efforts by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to clean up and regulate the mining industry.
Earlier in the week, the minister’s Special Adviser, Kehinde Bamigbetan, had responded to what the government called false claims linked to the company in a report titled “Nigeria Seizes British Lithium Project Under Armed Guard.”
The government’s rebuttal, titled “In Nigeria’s Mining Sector, The Law Is No Respecter of Persons,” rejected the allegations and accused individuals including Steve Davis and Hamish MacDonald of spreading misleading narratives about the sector.
Tomori stressed that the claims were baseless, noting that the Federal Government—through the ministry and the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office—has no legal or contractual relationship with any entity known as Jupiter Lithium.
He also pointed out that the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007 does not allow mining licences to be issued directly to foreign companies.
According to him, the dispute originated from the revocation of mineral titles belonging to Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian firm reportedly linked to Australian national Steve Davis.
The licences were withdrawn after the company failed to pay outstanding annual service fees totaling ₦2.494 billion for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.
Tomori said the revocation followed proper legal procedures and prior notices issued in line with regulations governing default in payment of such fees.
He further alleged that Jupiter Ltd falsely claimed its licences were revoked in favour of a Chinese company, describing the claim as entirely fabricated.
Davis was also accused of operating as a mining speculator who allegedly set up multiple companies to secure mineral titles without conducting actual mining activities.
The ministry linked him to several firms, including Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd, and Iron Ore Mining Ltd.
Tomori said practices like these contribute to illegal mining, as some companies obtain licences but fail to carry out genuine mining operations.
He added that the administration of President Tinubu would continue its reforms and would not allow actions that could undermine progress in the sector.
According to him, the government remains committed to sanitising the mining industry and attracting legitimate investors.
Tomori urged Nigerians and the international community to ignore what he described as attempts by discredited individuals to discredit the government’s reform efforts, stressing that the country remains open to genuine investors willing to operate within its legal framework.
He also highlighted incentives introduced to encourage responsible investment, including tax waivers on imported mining equipment and policies that allow full repatriation of profits.