President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned largest Lithium processing plant in Nasarawa state, a Diamond New Energy projects.
The ceremony took place on Thursday, in Endo community Nasarawa local government area of Nasarawa state.
He said the commissioning of Diamond New Energy projects in Nasarawa state represents confidence in Nigeria, in Nasarawa state, and in the revolutionary reforms set in place by the present 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,” he said.
President Tinubu said Lithium has become one of the defining minerals of the energy transition, central to battery technology, electric mobility, and renewable energy storage.
Represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, the president said his government will continue to invest large resources in lithium and energy processing for the economic growth, job creation and infrastructural development in the country.
He stressed that solid minerals are the enduring backbone of every economy, because no technology rises without them.
“What changes a nation is a 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.
Tinubu maintained that across the world, countries blessed with minerals, oil, gas, fertile lands, and strategic locations remain trapped in poverty because they failed to convert those resources into productive capacity.
”Natural resources may be a blessing, but only vision can turn them into wealth. Only institutions can protect that wealth. Only industry can multiply it, and only people can give it meaning,” he said.
The president also noted that nations with far fewer advantages have risen to global prominence through discipline, enterprise, technology, skills, and industrial organization.
He mentioned Japan, Singapore, South Korea, even China, as big as it is, is not as naturally endowed as some other countries.
”I therefore, join you today on behalf of my principal, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and with his goodwill for you, we gather to affirm a direction, to make a statement about the kind of economy Nigeria must become, the kind of future we must build, and the kind of partnerships we must encourage if our natural endowments are to translate into shared prosperity for our people.
Speaking, governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state said, apart from being blessed with fertile land for agriculture the state also blessed with different type of natural resources to include, lithium, Barrett, coal, marvuls among others.
The governor then commended the federal government and the ministry of solid Minerals for supporting the state to achieve in fixing the largest Lithium processing plant in West Africa to make Nasarawa one of the best among it pears.
In a remarks, the minister of solid mineral resources, Mr. Dale Alake, said Nasarawa state is endowed with abandoned natural resources
which gives more opportunity in economic progress especially in the entire north.
He said due to illegal miners, his ministry had engaged the services of special force to protect the activities of illegal miners which over 300 were apprehended and some are standing trial.