The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has dismissed the allegation by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that the Federal Government is planning to establish a gold refinery in Lagos.
The government described the allegation as a deliberate mischief.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the forum accused the government of establishing a gold refinery in Lagos, calling its location a violation of the principle of federal character.
Responding to the forum’s allegation, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Segun Tomori, the government said the alleged refinery was solely a private sector initiative without a dime of government in the venture.
The statement said: “There is no iota of truth in the allegation. The new gold refinery is the initiative of Kian Smith, a 100 per cent privately-owned mining company that aims to facilitate the development of the local gold industry through innovative practices.”
Further puncturing the allegation, the statement argued that the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, never announced or attributed the ownership of the refinery in Lagos to the Federal Government.
“The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, was very clear, concise, and emphatic in the announcement of the proposed commissioning of the refinery that other gold refineries are in the works across the country – and all privately-owned by different companies.
“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.
“How could the NEF expect the Federal Government to force a private company to locate its operations in a particular area of the federation when each company has its operational and marketing strategy to ensure its profitability?
“The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, through its policy reforms, has been creating the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and flourish in the mining sector in the last two years and the Lagos gold refinery and others are eloquent testimonies to the efficacy of the solid minerals sector reforms.
“How could the NEF fail to conduct basic due diligence and research before displaying such embarrassing ignorance while purporting to act on behalf of the North, a region that boasts accomplished academics and professionals?
“This negligence could only have been the result of a deliberate mischief, an orchestration of mistrust and acceleration of irresponsible militancy.”
The ministry assured stakeholders and prospective investors in the sector of its readiness to continue to encourage more mining companies to set up processing and manufacturing plants across the country.
It urged NEF to turn a new leaf and join the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to build a stronger, self-reliant economy that meets the needs of the Nigerian people.
The statement congratulated the founder and Managing Director of the refinery, Nere Emiko, for her doggedness in delivering a dream project after years of perseverance, enterprise and leadership
The refinery captures the response of the solid minerals sector to the policy of Value Addition enunciated by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, two years ago, which discourages the export of raw minerals and localizes the processing and manufacturing of minerals.
This policy, the statement added, has stimulated the conversion of raw minerals export to processing factories across the country, generating massive inflow of foreign capital and provision of thousands of jobs to Nigerians.
These include the $600 million lithium plant in Nasarawa state, the $400 million rare earth plant also in Nasarawa State and the $200 million ASBA lithium plant in Abuja.
