Hauwa Gidado, Abuja
Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, has questioned former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s role in advising Nigeria, following allegations linking his institute to a dispute involving a mining company and the Nigerian government.
In a rejoinder to an October 18, 2026, article by Gordon Rayner published in The Telegraph of the United Kingdom, Bamigbetan argued that the report contained contradictions regarding the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), Nigeria’s national security interests and the revocation of mining licences.
Bamigbetan said the institute and the Federal Government had denied the claims surrounding the alleged advisory arrangement, questioning the basis for linking Blair’s activities to the mining dispute.
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He also challenged claims that Jupiter had been denied the execution of its mining licence, arguing that the company was not recognised under Nigerian law and that the dispute involved its partners, Basin Mining Limited and Range Mining Limited.
According to Bamigbetan, the two companies lost their licences for failing to pay annual service fees to the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, despite repeated notices to fulfil their statutory obligations.
He stated that Basin Mining Limited owed ₦1.223 billion, equivalent to about £691,368, in outstanding fees, adding that penalties continued to accumulate while legal steps to recover the debt were underway.
Bamigbetan accused Jupiter of pursuing an international campaign against the Nigerian government rather than resolving the dispute through payment of outstanding fees or legal proceedings before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
He further alleged that Jupiter’s promoter, Steve Davis, had used international connections to pressure the government over the revocation of the licences.
The special adviser traced the dispute to reforms introduced by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, after assuming office in August 2023.
According to him, Alake initiated measures to enforce compliance with the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 after discovering significant unpaid statutory fees within the mining sector.
Bamigbetan said the government revoked at least 1,663 mining licences in November 2023 over regulatory non-compliance, while also providing a three-month restitution window for affected operators to present complaints and address exceptional circumstances.
He alleged that Davis discouraged his partners from taking advantage of the opportunity and instead threatened to use his international networks against the Nigerian government.
Bamigbetan also accused Davis of orchestrating a disinformation campaign across several countries, including Australia, Canada, the United States and European nations, in an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s position.
He said the campaign intensified during President Bola Tinubu’s official visit to the United Kingdom in March 2026, when, according to him, narratives surrounding the mining dispute threatened Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with Western countries.
The presidential visit and the mining dispute, Bamigbetan argued, should be assessed on the basis of verifiable facts rather than allegations designed to influence public opinion.
He urged journalists to scrutinise claims relating to the dispute and verify them against available evidence before publication.
“When a story like this betrays so many contradictions, the rule is not to encourage its spread,” Bamigbetan said, calling on journalists to exercise caution when reporting allegations made by parties involved in commercial disputes.
