The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has dismissed claims by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that the Federal Government sited a gold refinery in Lagos in violation of the federal character principle.
The ministry described the allegation, contained in a statement signed by the NEF spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, as untrue and misleading.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Segun Tomori, said the minister, Dr Dele Alake, did not at any time announce that the Federal Government owned or established a gold refinery in Lagos or elsewhere in the country.
Tomori said the minister was clear and emphatic in his remarks on the proposed inauguration of the refinery, stressing that several gold refineries were being developed across the country by different private investors.
He explained that the newly established gold refinery in Lagos was a private initiative of Kian Smith, a fully privately owned mining company, aimed at advancing the development of the local gold industry through innovative practices.
According to him, the Federal Government does not compel private companies to locate their operations in any specific part of the federation, as such decisions are guided by each firm’s operational and marketing strategies to ensure profitability.
Tomori said the Federal Government had only acknowledged the resilience and enterprise of the company’s founder and Managing Director, Ms Nere Emiko, for delivering a flagship project after years of perseverance and leadership.
He added that the refinery was a direct outcome of the value-addition policy in the solid minerals sector, which was introduced to discourage the export of raw minerals and promote local processing and manufacturing.
He said the policy had led to the establishment of several processing plants across the country, attracting massive foreign investments and creating thousands of jobs for Nigerians.
Tomori listed some of the projects as the 600 million dollar lithium plant in Nasarawa State, the 400 million dollar rare earth plant also in Nasarawa State, and the 200 million dollar ASBA lithium plant in Abuja.
He said the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, through sustained policy reforms over the past two years, had created an enabling environment for private sector participation in the mining industry.
According to him, the Lagos gold refinery and similar projects were clear indicators of the success of reforms in the solid minerals sector.
Tomori said the ministry would continue to encourage mining companies to establish processing and manufacturing plants across the country.
He urged the Northern Elders Forum to support the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in building a stronger, more self-reliant economy that meets the needs of Nigerians.
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