Powerful illegal miners threatening my life, says Dele Alake

 “I have tripled the number of my personal security after receiving several death threats from unknown individuals and companies whose mining licences were revoked for failing to comply with necessary government regulations,” he said.

Alake regretted that rather than do the right thing to get back their licences, some of the affected individuals and companies that defaulted in paying fees and refusing to commence mining operations for more than 10 years in some cases have resorted to threatening him and some other employees of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development with the hope of arm-twisting officials concerned to recover their licences through the back door.

Alake said, “I am not afraid of them because we fought several battles to get to where we are today. Some have even threatened to sue us at the International Court of Arbitration but I want to see the international court which will say that licences that people obtained under our local regulations which were wantomly flauted; that the people who did so are right. I do not see any judge who will support such nonsense.

“Some of the companies and individuals have also been sponsoring all sorts of spurious publications disparaging our policies even though these policies have earned accolades beyond the shores of Nigeria. We will not be discouraged by their actions or what they still plan to do”.

The minister offered to create a window of restitution whereby the defaulting companies and individuals can get back their licences after paying up the accrued debts to government and a default charge of N10 million apart from clearing every other outstanding indebtedness against them.