NEF Opposes Siting of National Gold Refinery in Lagos

The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has criticised the location of Nigeria’s national gold refinery in Lagos State, saying the decision undermines constitutional principles of equity, federal balance and inclusive development. In an open letter signed by its spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, and addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council, the forum argued that most of Nigeria’s commercially viable gold deposits are located in Northern states.

The NEF said siting the refinery far from gold-producing areas contradicts the federal character principle and the derivation philosophy outlined in the 1999 Constitution. It warned that concentrating value addition and industrial infrastructure outside resource-producing regions could deepen structural inequality, fuel resentment and worsen insecurity, calling for at least one major gold refinery to be located within the northern gold belt.

In response, the Federal Government said the refinery is not a government project but a private sector initiative by Kian Smith Company FZE. The spokesman to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, said the government has no equity in the project and only provides an enabling environment for investors, rejecting claims of a regional agenda.

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Tomori added that several mining and processing facilities are already located in Northern Nigeria, including lithium and iron ore plants, and said the refinery was moved to Lagos in 2021 based on business considerations. Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Government aligned itself with the NEF’s position, describing the decision as unfair and urging the Federal Government to review the location in the interest of fairness and economic justice.