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The Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, has dismissed allegations that the Federal Government is handing Nigeria’s mineral resources to Chinese interests, describing the claims as false, misleading and part of a campaign to discredit the minister, Dr. Dele Alake.
In a statement on Saturday titled, “The Puerile Peregrination of a Serial Blackmailer,” Bamigbetan accused one Steve Kefas of spreading misinformation on behalf of foreign business interests whose mining licences were revoked for allegedly failing to comply with Nigerian mining regulations.
According to Bamigbetan, the controversy stems from the revocation of mining licences belonging to Basin Mining Limited over its alleged failure to pay statutory annual service fees running into billions of naira.
He said the company owed N1.223 billion in outstanding annual service fees when it was first notified in 2024, adding that the debt had risen to N2.494 billion before the licences were eventually revoked.
The presidential aide further alleged that a foreign company, Jupiter, which he said was not a direct party to the mining licences, subsequently instituted arbitration proceedings against the Federal Government while simultaneously sponsoring media attacks aimed at pressuring the government into reversing the revocation.
Bamigbetan rejected claims that Alake favours Chinese investors over their Western counterparts, insisting that the minister’s engagements have been balanced and driven solely by Nigeria’s economic interests.
He noted that since assuming office, Alake had officially visited China only twice once as a member of President Bola Tinubu’s delegation during a state visit and another time to attend China Mining Week 2025 at the invitation of the Chinese government.
According to him, the minister has attended more mining investment conferences in Western countries, including the Mines and Money Conference in London, Mining Indaba in South Africa and the Africa Down Under Conference in Australia, where efforts were made to attract investments into Nigeria’s mining sector.
Bamigbetan argued that Nigeria’s policy of opening the solid minerals sector to foreign investors did not begin under the current administration but dates back to the economic liberalisation reforms of 1995, when the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) Act and the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act created a more investment-friendly environment.
He maintained that the existing legal framework allows both local and foreign investors to participate in Nigeria’s mining industry, provided they comply with the country’s laws and regulatory requirements.
The media adviser said the reforms introduced under Alake’s Seven-Point Agenda were focused on strengthening regulation, encouraging local value addition and ensuring that mining companies establish processing facilities within Nigeria instead of merely exporting raw minerals.
He stated that several Chinese companies had complied with the government’s directive by investing in mineral processing plants, while accusing some other operators of failing to meet similar obligations.
Bamigbetan also defended Nigeria’s growing economic engagement with China, noting that bilateral cooperation in mining predates the Tinubu administration and has evolved over several years through various agreements on geological mapping, mineral exploration, technical cooperation and investment.
He cited the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership established following President Tinubu’s state visit to China in 2024, saying the initiative had boosted Chinese investment commitments while expanding cooperation in mining, agriculture, infrastructure and technology.
At the same time, he stressed that the Federal Government continues to engage investors from Europe, North America and Australia, adding that over 300 Western companies are active across different segments of Nigeria’s solid minerals industry.
According to him, agencies such as the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and the Mining Cadastral Office are collaborating with French and German institutions to strengthen geological data and improve mining licence administration, while the World Bank has also supported reforms in the sector.
Bamigbetan maintained that the establishment of the Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, the deployment of Mining Marshals, stricter enforcement of mining regulations and increased investment in mineral processing demonstrate the administration’s commitment to repositioning the sector.
He insisted that the revocation of defaulting mining licences would not be reversed under pressure, maintaining that all investors, irrespective of nationality, must comply with Nigerian laws.
