The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has rejected claims by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that the Federal Government violated the federal character principle by siting a gold refinery in Lagos.
The ministry described the allegation, credited to NEF spokesperson Abubakar Jiddere, as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, Segun Tomori, Special Assistant to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said the minister never announced that the Federal Government owned or established a gold refinery in Lagos or anywhere else.
Tomori explained that the refinery referenced by NEF is a private initiative of Kian Smith, stressing that other gold refineries are also being developed across the country by different private investors.
He added that the Federal Government does not direct private companies on where to locate their businesses, noting that such decisions are driven by commercial and operational considerations.
According to the ministry, the Lagos refinery aligns with the government’s value-addition policy aimed at discouraging the export of raw minerals and promoting local processing and manufacturing.
Tomori said the policy has already attracted major private investments, including lithium and rare-earth processing plants in Nasarawa State and Abuja, generating jobs and foreign capital inflows.
He maintained that reforms in the solid minerals sector have created an enabling environment for private investment and urged NEF to support ongoing efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to build a stronger and more self-reliant economy.
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