The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has dismissed claims by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that the Federal Government violated the federal character principle by siting a gold refinery in Lagos.
The clarification was made in a statement on Sunday in Abuja by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Segun Tomori.
The ministry said the allegation misrepresented comments made by the Minister, Dr. Dele Alake, regarding the planned inauguration of a gold refinery project and ongoing reforms in the solid minerals sector. It stressed that the Federal Government neither owns nor established a gold refinery in Lagos or elsewhere in Nigeria.
“There was nowhere in the Minister’s announcement that the Federal Government owned or established a gold refinery in Lagos or any other location. Dr. Dele Alake was clear that other gold refineries are in the works across the country, all privately owned by different companies,” Tomori said.
He explained that the refinery referenced by the NEF is a private initiative by Kian Smith, a wholly privately owned mining company, established to support the growth of Nigeria’s local gold industry.
Tomori emphasised that the Federal Government does not direct private companies on where to locate their operations, noting that such decisions are based on the companies’ commercial and operational considerations.
The ministry urged the public to distinguish between government projects and private sector investments, reiterating its commitment to creating an enabling environment for solid minerals development nationwide.
Tomori also commended the company’s founder and Managing Director, Ms. Nere Emiko, for delivering a flagship project after years of perseverance and leadership. He noted that the refinery aligns with the sector’s value-addition policy, aimed at discouraging the export of raw minerals and promoting local processing and manufacturing.
