This was disclosed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, during a media briefing for the one-year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu-led administration. Alake said that the move was to prove the seriousness of the administration's involvement in the development of the solid mineral sector. He said that the ministry has revoked the mining licenses of no fewer than nine thousand dormant companies, that got approval but did not use the licenses to produce anything.
Similarly, the minister of Steel Development, Shuaib Audu Abubakar, revealed that the federal government had approved the sourcing of $25 million to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Plant in Kogi State, starting with the production of iron rods for the construction industry. Abubakar said that the ministry was in the final stages of obtaining private sector funding to get the plant to partially produce important military hardware and save the country from importing the core items abroad.