Nigeria’s biggest problem isn’t the absence of policies or reforms it’s sabotage from within. Whenever a competent public servant steps forward to challenge entrenched inefficiencies, vultures inevitably begin to circle. Today, a calculated and aggressive smear campaign is being orchestrated against Engr. Obadiah Simon Nkom, the Director General of the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO). His crime? Doing his job too well.

Before delving deeper into this witch-hunt, it's important to acknowledge a critical concern raised by various stakeholders:

the MCO’s core mandate is to issue valid mining licenses that confer secure, legal title to mineral-bearing land. However, the current reality tells a more complex story. In some cases, the agency has been accused of issuing new licenses over pre-existing valid ones, triggering overlapping claims and confusion within host communities.

Community leaders, bewildered and frustrated, often find themselves trapped between multiple title holders all armed with documents duly signed under the authority of Engr. Nkom himself. This raises a serious question: How can such overlaps occur when every new application ostensibly requires documented consent from the community?

Investigations point to an unsettling possibility for a fee, forged community consent letters can reportedly be procured through MCO channels. At least one MCO officer, according to credible sources within the industry, has allegedly facilitated this corrupt practice. These claims demand transparency and a thorough internal audit. But what they do not justify is the broader attempt to tarnish the reputation of a man whose reformist track record is both measurable and commendable.

Let’s be clear: raising concerns is not the problem weaponizing half-truths to derail reform is.

Since assuming office and following his reappointment in January 2023, Engr. Nkom has led the MCO through a series of transformative reforms that directly threaten those who once profited from confusion, inefficiency, and opaque processes. His leadership ushered in digital tools and automation aimed at sanitizing title administration. Yet, despite the launch of the World Bank-backed \$150 million MINDIVER project and the EMC+ digital platform, the problem of overlapping titles persists—and has even worsened.

Applicants report being awarded titles over existing, valid claims. A system meant to ensure transparency and eliminate human error has become, according to industry insiders, "an absolute mess." Titles are issued and revoked with little consistency. Many believe the new digital process simply replaced human inefficiency with technical dysfunction a dysfunction amplified by alleged facilitation fees demanded by MCO officers.

This facilitation fee culture has eroded public trust. Foreign investors report being asked for bribes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Those unwilling to pay beyond official fees face indefinite delays; those who cooperate get fast-tracked. It’s not innovation it’s monetized dysfunction.

And yet, amid all this, Nkom's defenders point to record revenue collection as evidence of reform. The Ministry announced a staggering ₦6.95 billion in revenue in Q1 2025 alone, following a controversial 12-fold hike in mining-related fees. Director-General Nkom called it a triumph of management. But many tenement holders disagree. They argue that MCO is not meant to be a revenue-generation agency. Its function is regulatory, not extractive.

Fee increases were not only dramatic they were sudden. Investors were told mid-year to comply immediately. This kind of instability sends the wrong signal to both local and international players. As one operator said, "You can't change the rules mid-game and expect people to keep playing."

At the core of the controversy is a growing sense that the MCO has lost its way. Instead of facilitating investment and ensuring transparency, it has become a bottleneck where influence, not merit, determines outcomes. The automated platform is lauded in official speeches, but on the ground, it’s widely viewed as unreliable.

Ironically, Simon-Nkom received an international award in 2024 as Nigeria’s “Best Public Servant Leader.” This recognition has baffled stakeholders who see overlapping titles, stalled permits, and a bloated bureaucracy as daily realities. Many veterans even recall a time pre-digitization when the MCO functioned better under manual operations.

And the damage isn't confined to Nigeria’s borders. The country’s mining sector has become an international embarrassment.