Once envisioned as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic diversification, the Mining Cadastre Office, (MCO), now stands accused of widespread corruption, operational failure, and contributing to what experts describe as a national security threat.
Housed in an inconspicuous government building at House 37, Lobito Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, the MCO is tasked with regulating the issuance of mining licenses across Nigeria. However, according to a scathing exposé by industry expert, Engr. Biliyaminu Surajo, the office has become a hotbed of bribery, mismanagement, and systemic dysfunction that is crippling the mining sector.
The crisis came to a head during a June 19, 2025 virtual stakeholders’ meeting, where mining operators erupted in frustration over delayed licenses, fabricated consent documents, and overlapping mining titles. According to participants, the session—meant to rebuild trust in the sector—degenerated into a monologue by ministry officials, sparking outrage when operators were finally allowed to speak.
The MCO, headed by Director-General Engr. Obadiah Simon-Nkom, is accused of issuing multiple licenses for the same plots of land, often using fraudulent community consent documents reportedly sold for bribes. An insider claims one official has processed over 50 such falsified consents.
“The speed of processing depends on how much you’re willing to pay,” one foreign CEO alleged, describing demands for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unofficial “facilitation fees”.
Despite a $150 million World Bank-backed MINDIVER project to digitize operations and eliminate title duplication, industry players say the system remains unreliable. “You could be awarded a license today and someone else could get one over the same land tomorrow – if they pay more”, one operator said.
Compounding frustrations, the Federal Government’s 12-fold increase in mining fees in 2024 reportedly generated ₦6.95 billion in Q1 2025, but critics argue this revenue came at the cost of investor confidence. “Where are the real mining projects?” operators asked. “Not the environmentally-damaging Chinese operations paraded as progress”.
Nigeria’s mining authorities have faced ridicule at international conventions, including PDAC in Canada and Mining Indaba in South Africa, where Nigeria’s delegation, despite its size, reportedly had “nothing substantial to showcase” compared to peers from Ghana, South Africa, and Cameroon.
Surajo argued that the MCO – once effective under a manual system – has devolved into a chaotic institution undermining investor trust, local community peace, and national economic growth.
He called for legal action against corrupt officials and urgent institutional reform, warning that the country’s future in solid minerals – and its economic diversification drive – is at risk.
“This isn’t just about licensing errors. It’s about a system that has become a liability to national security”, he concluded.
The MCO and Ministry of Solid Minerals Development have not responded to the allegations as of the time of this publication.
