The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD) has dismissed allegations by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that the Federal Government sited a gold refinery in Lagos in violation of the federal character principle.
In a statement signed by NEF spokesperson Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the group had accused the government of bias.
However, the Ministry described the claim as “false and misleading,” stressing that there is no federal government–owned gold refinery in Lagos or anywhere else in Nigeria.
According to the Ministry, the refinery referenced by NEF is a private-sector project of Kian Smith, a 100% privately owned mining company.
The facility was developed to support the growth of Nigeria’s local gold industry through innovation and value addition.
The Ministry clarified that at no point did Minister Dr. Dele Alake announce that the Federal Government had established or owned a refinery in Lagos.
Instead, he stated that multiple refineries are being developed across the country by different private investors.
The Federal Government congratulated Ms. Nere Emiko, Founder and Managing Director of Kian Smith, for her resilience and leadership in delivering what it described as a “dream project after years of perseverance and enterprise.”
Value-Addition Policy Driving Investments
In a statement issued by the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, the refinery was described as a direct outcome of the value-addition policy introduced by MSMD two years ago.
The policy discourages the export of raw minerals and promotes local processing and manufacturing.
Tomori highlighted other major investments stimulated by the policy, including:
- A $600 million lithium plant in Nasarawa State.
- A $400 million rare earth plant also in Nasarawa State.
- A $200 million ASBA lithium plant in Abuja.
He said the policy has generated massive inflows of foreign capital and created thousands of jobs for Nigerians.
Ministry Rebukes NEF
The Ministry criticized NEF’s statement, describing it as a sign of declining leadership quality.
“We are shocked at the debilitating degeneration in the quality of leadership of the NEF, an organisation that used to act as a think-tank of serious discourse decades ago, which, by its recent utterances has become a parody of its pioneers,” Tomori said.
He questioned how NEF could expect the Federal Government to force a private company to site its operations in a particular region. “Each company has its operational and marketing strategy to ensure profitability,” he added.
The Ministry further accused NEF of failing to conduct basic due diligence before making its claims, calling the statement “embarrassing ignorance” and suggesting it was driven by “deliberate mischief, orchestration of mistrust and acceleration of irresponsible militancy.”
MSMD reaffirmed its commitment to encouraging more mining companies to establish processing and manufacturing facilities across Nigeria.
The Ministry urged NEF to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to build a stronger, self-reliant economy for the benefit of all Nigerians.
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