By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
Kehinde Bamigbetan, Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has defended the Federal Government’s revocation of mining licences linked to Jupiter, insisting that the affected companies failed to pay statutory fees despite repeated notices.
Bamigbetan, in a rejoinder to an article published by The Telegraph of the United Kingdom on October 18, 2026, challenged the report by Gordon Rayner questioning former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s support for Britain while advising Nigeria.
He argued that the publication contained contradictions regarding the role of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) and the dispute involving Jupiter and its Nigerian mining partners.
According to Bamigbetan, the TBI has no contract to advise the Federal Government of Nigeria, contradicting the suggestion that Blair might have undermined British national security interests through an advisory relationship with the Nigerian government.
He also disputed the claim that Jupiter was denied the execution of its mining licence, stating that the company was not recognised under Nigerian law and that the relevant licences belonged to its partners, Basin Mining Limited and Range Mining Limited.
Bamigbetan said the two companies lost their licences for failing to pay annual service fees to the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, despite receiving several notices to meet their statutory obligations.
He disclosed that Basin Mining Limited alone owed ₦1.223 billion, equivalent to approximately £691,368, adding that penalties were accruing daily while legal proceedings to recover the outstanding funds were underway.
The minister’s aide accused Jupiter of pursuing an international campaign against the Nigerian government instead of settling the outstanding obligations or allowing the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes to determine the dispute.
He further alleged that the campaign amounted to disinformation and economic sabotage, with potential implications for Nigeria’s security and diplomatic interests.
Bamigbetan described the report as an attempt to promote what he called a misleading narrative, urging journalists to independently verify the claims and examine the legal circumstances surrounding the revocation of the licences.
He also questioned why Jupiter would seek international sympathy if its legal position was as strong as its supporters claimed.
The rejoinder singled out Steve Davis, identified by Bamigbetan as Jupiter’s promoter, accusing him of leveraging his international connections to pressure successive Nigerian administrations over the mining dispute.
According to the minister’s aide, Davis had enjoyed considerable influence in Nigeria’s mining sector since 1999 but faced a different regulatory environment following Alake’s appointment as Minister of Solid Minerals Development in August 2023.
Bamigbetan said Alake subsequently initiated a compliance drive aimed at enforcing the provisions of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and addressing outstanding statutory payments in the sector.
He explained that the minister was concerned by the accumulation of unpaid fees at the Mining Cadastre despite government investments in the Electronic Mining Cadastre Plus (EMC+), an automated platform designed to digitise the licensing process and improve service delivery.
He said the government notified indebted licence holders and gazetted defaulters before revoking licences in accordance with applicable regulations.
In November 2023, the government revoked at least 1,663 mining licences over non-compliance, according to Bamigbetan. He added that a three-month restitution window was subsequently provided to enable affected operators to present complaints and demonstrate exceptional circumstances.
However, he alleged that Davis discouraged his partners from taking advantage of the opportunity and instead threatened to use his international networks to frustrate the Nigerian government.
Bamigbetan further accused Davis of orchestrating a disinformation campaign across Australia, Canada, the United States and Europe, claiming that the allegations failed when examined against the available facts.
He also referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s official visit to the United Kingdom in March 2026, alleging that narratives surrounding the mining dispute were used to portray Nigeria negatively before Western audiences.
The minister’s aide maintained that the government’s actions were driven by regulatory compliance rather than any attempt to target a particular company or investor.
He urged journalists to exercise caution when reporting allegations connected to the dispute, arguing that responsible journalism requires independent verification of claims and careful examination of conflicting accounts.
“When in doubt, leave it out,” Bamigbetan said, invoking a longstanding principle of journalism.
He concluded that journalists had a responsibility to avoid amplifying allegations that were contradicted by verifiable facts.
