Vice President Kashim Shettima has affirmed Nigeria’s readiness to create jobs, build skills, and expand its productive base through active participation in the global minerals economy.
He underscored the importance of solid minerals in a tech-driven era, saying they are the enduring backbone of every economy since no technology rises without them.
Shettima stated this on Thursday while inaugurating Diamond New Energy Projects, one of Africa’s largest lithium processing plants and mining companies in Nasarawa State, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
He identified what he described as the stark choices confronting Nigeria, noting that the nation must either maximise its industrial advantage and turn its endowments into engines of prosperity, or spend years manufacturing excuses for the nation’s lack of innovation.
The Vice President observed that while the soil does not apologise for the failures of its occupants or congratulate them for their potential, it instead waits for a people serious enough to redeem it.
According to him: “That is why this occasion matters. The commissioning of Diamond New Energy Projects here in Nasarawa State represents confidence in Nigeria, in Nasarawa State, and in the revolutionary reforms set in place by this administration.
“It represents confidence that Nigeria is ready to participate in the global minerals economy on terms that create jobs, build skills, strengthen local enterprises and expand our productive base.”
Acknowledging that the national conversation in Nigeria had been “dominated by what lies beneath our soil,” including gold, lithium, tin, iron ore, bitumen, coal and other rare earth elements, Shettima said discussing them with justifiable pride without deploying them to transform the lives of young Nigerians is futile.
“What changes a nation is the deliberate movement from extraction to processing, from potential to production, from raw materials to value-added goods, and from isolated investments to integrated industrial ecosystems,” he added.
The Vice President maintained that no nation can correct deep economic distortions without courage, just as “no economy has moved from dependency to productivity without building lasting ground for investment, productivity and growth, so that serious investors can plan for the long term, local entrepreneurs can compete, young people can find work, and the wealth of the nation begins to serve the people of the nation.
“This is why the solid minerals sector occupies a strategic place in our economic agenda,” Shettima noted, pointing out that evolving technology is not only disrupting the world “but has restated the inevitability of solid minerals development.”
He attributed the success of building the mining firm to the resolve and vision of Governor Abdullahi Sule “to make Nasarawa a template for the promise of extractive industry development.”
The Vice President commended the management of Diamond New Energy, describing the mining investment as timely, strategic and important “at the very moment Nigeria is repositioning itself.”
Earlier, Governor Sule of Nasarawa State commended investors for choosing the state as the destination for one of Africa’s largest lithium processing plants.
He urged both local and foreign investors to take advantage of the state’s abundant solid mineral deposits and strategic proximity to the Federal Capital Territory.
Sule said the state remains one of Nigeria’s most resource-rich investment destinations, with vast untapped mineral resources capable of driving industrialisation and economic growth.
On his part, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, said Nigeria has successfully redirected global investment attention to its solid minerals sector through deliberate reforms initiated by the Federal Government.
He described the establishment of the lithium processing plant as a product of the Nasarawa State Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of its people through industrial development and value addition.
Alake expressed optimism that the mining sector would soon emerge as one of the key drivers of Nigeria’s economic transformation and poverty reduction efforts.
Also speaking, Senator representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, Ahmed Wadada, commended the Federal Government, the Nasarawa State Government and all stakeholders for their roles in attracting the investment.
He specifically praised Diamond New Energy Company for establishing the processing plant and urged the management to take the next step by manufacturing lithium batteries in Nigeria to ensure greater value addition, increased employment and maximum benefits for the host community and the nation.
On his part, Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Area, Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed, described the commissioning of the processing plant as the fulfilment of a long-held aspiration for the host community.
He said the facility will create employment opportunities for residents, boost internally generated revenue and stimulate economic activities in the area, assuring investors of the community’s commitment to maintaining peace and protecting the investment.
Nasarawa State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Princess Margaret Elayo, described the project as a testament to the visionary leadership of President Tinubu and Governor Sule.
Also, the Ambassador of Jiuling and Canmax, Mr. Yu Chongqiang, said the companies selected Nasarawa State because of the investment-friendly policies of the state government.
He noted that the current investment marked only the beginning of the companies’ long-term commitment to Nigeria, revealing plans to further expand operations to meet the growing global demand for lithium products.
Deji Elumoye
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