The Federal Government says it has uncovered an attempt by an embattled mining company, Jupiter Ltd, to launch what it described as a “campaign of calumny” against Nigeria during the planned state visit of President Bola Tinubu to the United Kingdom, following a dispute over revoked mineral licences.
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development said the alleged move was aimed at discrediting the Federal Government’s reforms in the mining sector and misleading the international community about the circumstances surrounding the revocation of certain mineral licences.
It said the company and its associates were allegedly preparing to circulate what it termed misleading claims about the Nigerian mining sector to discredit the government’s ongoing reforms.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, the ministry insisted that allegations that Nigeria seized a British lithium project under armed guard were false and misleading.