Abuja: The Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) has reported a revenue generation of N10.9 billion between January and April 2025. The Director-General of the MCO, Mr. Stephen Nkom, shared this information in a statement released by the Head of Press for the organisation, Mrs. Grace Okeke, in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the significant revenue achievement was attributed to reforms introduced by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, aimed at revitalizing the mining sector. The minister previously stated that in the first quarter of 2025, MCO collected approximately N7 billion in mining fees and registered 118 new private mineral buying centres.
The fees collected originated from 955 applications for title grants. Of these applications, 651 were for exploration, 270 for small-scale mining, 49 for quarrying, and 24 for reconnaissance permits. The MCO’s efforts are focused on promoting transparency, accountability, and efficiency within the mining sector.
Mr. Nkom highlighted the agency’s transition to the digital Electronic Mining Cadastre (eMC+) system in 2022 as a pivotal development for improving accessibility, automation, and regulatory efficiency. MCO is also working in collaboration with various government agencies, including the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Police, to achieve its goals.
Further collaboration is being pursued with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to ensure that only properly registered and compliant companies are permitted to operate in the sector. Nkom confirmed that MCO is prepared to provide CAC with detailed data on companies that comply with annual return requirements.
The Registrar-General of CAC, Hussaini Magaji, recently visited MCO’s Director-General to discuss potential collaboration in ensuring companies in the mining sector adhere to CAC regulations, including the timely submission of annual returns to qualify for and maintain mining licenses.