Kehinde Bamigbetan
The coming visit of Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the United Kingdom is generating high expectations on the back of positive evaluations of his economic management by international rating agencies and policy institutions. The invitation by King Charles highlights the diplomatic recognition and respect Nigeria commands within the United Kingdom’s political landscape.
Yet, as arrangements for what promises to be a great achievement in diplomacy peak, a lawless gang of influence-peddlers is circling the sky like a kettle of vultures, seeking to dim the shine of the epochal event with lies, bile and blackmail.
Editors, readers, listeners and viewers should be wary of the poisonous and toxic content of the gargantuan falsehood from the mill of Steve Davis and his fellow traveller, Hamish Macdonald, who, by the way, seems unrestrained by the honorific title of the British Empire that he parades, in participating in the shameful attempt to hoodwink the general public.
The first evidence of deception is to catch the attention of unwary readers by dressing their fabrication of lies as a news story. It is not. A news story contains facts of what, who, where and how.
At the centre of their account is a company called Jupiter Lithium Limited. However, fact is, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, and the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office have no legal or contractual relationship with any Jupiter Lithium company. Since the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act forbids the grant of a mining licence to a foreign company, Jupiter could never have secured a mining license as a UK-registered company, as all companies seeking to engage in the mining sector in Nigeria must form a Nigerian company and register with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Davis, an Australian, chose to engage in this mischief of affiliation with the United Kingdom to exploit a platform to throw missiles at the Nigerian government for applying the rule of law by revoking the titles of a Nigerian company, Basin Mining Limited, for failure to pay the statutory annual service fee to the tune of 1 Billion, Two Hundred and Twenty-Three Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty thousand (N1,223,750,000), Naira for 2024 on the mineral title numbers 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML,40533ML at the time the company was serviced with the demand notice of the revocation. As at the time the titles were revoked, the debt accumulated to the tone of Two Billion, Four Hundred and ninety-four Million (N 2, 494, 000, 000) for 2025 on the titles. He has attempted to feast on the competition between the West and China for his ignoble motives. Jupiter lied that its titles were revoked in favor of a Chinese firm. This is pure hogwash. No Chinese firm has been allocated such titles. Jupiter is unknown to the Nigerian mining authorities. Davis
would rather keep the public in the dark about his real identity as a mining speculator who sets up companies to acquire mineral titles, which he carries from one conference to another, looking for investors to deceive.
In Nigeria, Davis is a director of six such companies- Comet Minerals Limited, Basin Mining Limited, Range Mining Limited, Sunrise Minerals, Northern Numero Limited and Iron Ore Mining Limited. Through these fronts, Davis held several licences.out of which the 5 Mining lease numbers 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML,40533ML were revoked for non payment of annual service fees.
Davis and his co-directors compound Nigeria’s challenge of illegal mining by refusing to go to the site to mine and holding on to licences for speculation while genuine investors with the capital to deploy search for sites.
Without any work plan for mineral extraction or processing, Davis had no reason to engage in any significant geological activity or community development. According to the ministry’s records, there is no evidence of any community development agreement or project initiated or completed by the companies linked to him.
Why is Davis so desperate to destroy?
For a long time, Davis lived in a bubble of influence in Nigeria. With a snap of his fingers, he got whatever he wanted. Following the emergence of a new and reformative administration in 2023, Davis erstwhile influence peddling to circumvent Nigerian regulations met a brick wall.
Since the grant of the mineral title numbers 21540EL and 21541EL in over 10 years, now converted to the revoke mining lease numbers 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML and 40533ML the company has failed to demonstrate any evidence of substantial mining operations within the mineral title areas.
Davis in his media statement alleged that Jupiter Lithium Project has made significant investment in its so–called lithium project and produced stockpile of lithium ore at the mines site. Ironically, the same Davis claimed that Basin was prevented from operating the mines by the combined effect of court restraining Order and alleged illegal mining activities among other excuses.
Naturally, he expected the new administration to fall in line and play the same role of acquiescence. His challenge arose when the ministry of solid minerals as part of reforms in the licensing process, decided to revoke licences that defaulted on annual service fees. Basin, was caught as defaulters. However, despite the notices, Basin, directly under Davis’s influence, refused to pay the sum of Two Billion, Four Hundred and ninety-four Million (N 2, 494, 000, 000) for 2024 and 2025 accumulated debts. Davis tried to influence the ministry to waive the fees as before, but was rebuffed. The ministry revoked 1,263 licences, including Basins’ for failure to pay the annual service fees. The revocation exercise was continuous. At the last count, 3,794 licences have been revoked.
The decision shattered Davis’s ego. Like the prick that deflated a swollen balloon, his ego flattened like a burst tyre. It turned him to a mortal foe. He developed an insatiable appetite for revenge, anything that could mar the ministry’s tough stance and bring the administration down was employed. Lies, bile, fabrications and blackmail. Yet, the ministry maintained its position – no more business as usual.
Davis instituted two cases each in London and Abuja. He enlisted local and foreign media hacks to publish hare-brained, false and puerile commentaries on the policies and developments in the sector.
Davis fabricated the falsehood that Basin’s site has been allocated to the Chinese, yet could not mention the company’s name. Nothing of the sort has happened. In the figment of his imagination or in the middle of a bad dream, he created the dramatic patrol of an abandoned site by men of the Mining Marshals.
Davis’s propaganda machine fabricated the falsehood that revocation of mineral titles for failing to comply with the law is against international investment practices, giving the impression that their sponsors were wrongly penalised. Fact-check it. You will discover that 37 mining licenses were revoked in Canada between 2023 and this year. In countries such as Australia and the United States, where mining is regionally administered, revocation is applied regularly. For instance, in the United States, Virginia and Kentucky revoked 20 coal mining licences; New Mexico revoked 10 uranium licences; and the US Forest Service revoked 15 hard rock mining licences in the Rocky Mountains. In Australia, the Western Australian government revoked 20 licences, Queensland revoked 15 licences in the Scenic Rim area, New South Wales revoked 10 licences, and South Australia revoked 5 licences. The United Kingdom was more severe. It banned outright the issuance of new coal licences as part of repositioning the mining sector for renewable energy. In fact, it renamed the Coal Authority as the Remediation Authority.
Davis and his propagandists lied that an increase in regulatory charges is not the vogue in foreign jurisdictions because it discourages investment and runs miners out of business. Beyond the shining example of increases in banks’ capital bases, which have enabled Nigeria’s financial sector to cope with rising transaction volumes and customers’ demand for efficient service, a simple fact check of increases in regulatory charges in foreign mining sectors exposes the criminal falsehood. In the United Kingdom, local authorities and regulatory bodies have implemented fee increases for mineral extraction. The Coal Authority has noted fluctuations in revenues associated with mining licences. In Canada, the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has also implemented fee increases for mining leases and permits in response to revisions to the mining regulations. Similarly, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry has increased fees over the past two years to cover administrative costs and enhanced regulatory requirements.
Let’s make this clear: despite the revocation of the titles, Basin Mining Limited still owes Two Billion, Four Hundred and ninety-four Million (N 2, 494, 000, 000) at the time of the revocation of the 5 leases in April 2025 due to the non payment of annual service fees to the Federal Government through the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO ). Its name, along with those of other defaulters, has been submitted to the Economic Crimes and Financial Commission for the recovery of owed funds.
If indeed Davis and his cohorts have a justifiable case, why not allow the courts they approached to adjudicate ?
But they know they are on very thin ice so resorting to vile propaganda and appealing to base sentiments is the only game left for them to play.
The litany of lies via fake press statements ahead of the Nigerian President’s visit to the UK is the latest symptom of his extreme frustration and diabolical rhetoric to obfuscate the facts. Unlike Davis, the British establishment is a stickler for rules and regulations. Britain, we are sure , will not tolerate any company that flouts its local laws and regulations with impunity. Nigeria too, will not. Propaganda, lies, blackmail, notwithstanding !
Bamigbetan is the Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development.