A mining company in Wase local government area of Plateau State has frowned at its reported closure as sheer criminal blackmail and corporate sabotage which may not be devoid of political witch hunt, and accordingly called on the Federal government to check its records and reverse its ill-informed assault on the company recently.

It will be recalled that on Monday August 14, the Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Fayemi Kayode, in company of the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mungonu, and Governor Simon Lalong, led by the Honourable member for Wase federal constituency, Hon Idris Maje, carried out a visit on the mining site of Solid Unit Nigeria Ltd in Zurak, Wase LGA, with the minister charging the company of illegal mining operations and poor community relations.

In a swipe reaction via a press release signed by the Public Relations officer of the mining company, Suleiman Adamu, the company described the action as ill-informed, unsavoury corporate sabotage which was unnecessary given the company’s pedigree and verifiable credentials, corporate profile, and registration and license details. According to the company, it obtained its exploration license in 2010, and later renewed the document in 2015, which is due to expire on September 28, 2017.

At the time of the government action which purportedly closed the operations of the company, its exploration license was well in force and duly operational according to the law, wandering what desperation informed such emotional official slam of the corporate citizen. According to section 148 of the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act 2007, “when the holder of a mineral title applies using the pendency of his title for renewal of the mineral title, the current mineral title shall remain in force until the date of the mineral tile, or the refusal of the application”.

Basing its position on the provision of another provision of the same Solid Minerals Act, section 65 which states to the effect that “subject to the provision of this Act, the Minister shall upon receipt of a valid application from a qualified applicant, grant an issue to that person a mining lease for the purposes required within forty five days of such application”, the company wondered why the minister will act in contravention of the enabling law, especially when it has since applied for the mining lease 2011 and has fulfilled all conditions including payment of fees and levies.

The company wonders further, based on section 65(2) which states that “no mining lease shall be granted in respect of any area within an exploration license, Area or a small scale mining area except the holder of the exploration license or small scale mining lease Mining such area”, whether it can be said that the company has contravened the law in any way, as it is clear that government did not act as it should, and to that extent ordered the closure of the company operations in utter contravention of the enabling law.

According to the release, as a responsible and law abiding corporate citizen, Solid Unit Nigeria Limited calls for the vacation of the unlawful closure of its mining site and removal of wrongful occupation of its premises by security agents, and also demands for the immediate and unconditional release of its staff who are since being held in custody for committing no offence.

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Solid Unit frowns at its closure as criminal blackmail, calls for reversal