By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The 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, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
In a press release issued on Sunday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Segun Tomori, the ministry said the statement credited to the NEF and signed by its spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, was based on “ignorance in the service of mischief.”
According to the ministry, the gold refinery referenced by the NEF is not a federal government project but a wholly private initiative by Kian Smith, a 100 per cent privately owned mining company.
It explained that at no point did the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, state that the Federal Government owned or established a gold refinery in Lagos or anywhere else in the country.
“The Minister was clear and emphatic that the refinery is privately owned and that other gold refineries are in the pipeline across the country, also by private investors,” the statement said.
The ministry congratulated the founder and Managing Director of Kian Smith, Ms. Nere Emiko, for successfully delivering the project after years of perseverance, describing the refinery as a product of enterprise and leadership.
It added that the refinery aligns with the ministry’s value addition policy introduced two years ago, which discourages the export of raw minerals and promotes local processing and manufacturing.
The policy, the ministry said, has already attracted significant investments, including a $600 million lithium plant in Nasarawa State, a $400 million rare earth plant also in Nasarawa, and a $200 million ASBA lithium plant in Abuja.
The ministry questioned how the NEF could expect the Federal Government to compel a private company to locate its operations in a particular region, noting that businesses make location decisions based on operational and market considerations.
Expressing disappointment at what it described as the declining quality of leadership and discourse within the NEF, the ministry accused the group of failing to conduct basic due diligence before making public statements capable of stoking mistrust and tension.
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development reaffirmed its commitment to creating an enabling environment for private sector investment in mining and said it would continue to encourage the establishment of processing and manufacturing plants across the country.
It urged the NEF to support the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to build a stronger and more self-reliant Nigerian economy.