By Abel Daniel, Lafia
As part of his industrialisation agenda, Governor Abdullah Sule has announced that two new lithium mining and processing plants will be established in Kokona Local Government Area.
Governor Sule disclosed this during his appearance on an Arise TV programme monitored in Lafia.
The Governor stated that the new facilities in Agwada and Amba will bring the total number of major lithium processing plants in the state to four.
This development will further expand the state’s growing portfolio in the solid minerals sector. This is coming on the heels of a completed USD200 million lithium factory in Udege, which is now awaiting commissioning by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He attributed the development to a key state policy reform that requires miners to also process lithium to a finished product within Nasarawa.
“With the lithium it all started with the reforms which we introduced to say that most people who are mining lithium in Nasarawa should also process it in Nasarawa.
“This kind of policy that we came up with through an executive order we were able to get the cooperation of all the investors. That is what led to the establishment the first company called Avarta which today is the biggest producer of lithium locally in Nigeria, producing about 3000 metric tons a day,” he stated.
The Governor explained that the success of these initial ventures attracted further investment, leading to the commitment for the USD200 million facility and the two new planned plants.
He described lithium as “the gold of today” due to its importance for energy technologies across the world today.
On the issue of federation allocation, Governor Sule acknowledged an increase in federal allocations to states, detailing how Nasarawa State is applying these resources, moving away from a past of borrowing and hand-to-mouth existence.
“What happened was that in Nigeria, before 2023, we used to share anywhere between N590bn to N630bn. Today, you will see that sharing has gone beyond N2trillion. Over three times what it used to be.
“What has happened is that people keep pointing accusing fingers at governors. How is that over N2trn shared? 52 percent goes to the federal government. 24 percent goes to the states and 20 percent goes to the local government and other deductions.
The 24 percent that goes to the states has seen more criticism that even more than the 52 percent that goes to the federal government. It is understood. It is not a problem,” he said.
The Governor used the opportunity to highlight on the approach his administration is taking in utilising the improved revenue.
According to him, the administration has cleared outstanding staff promotions, invested in infrastructure and health, procuring equipment like CT-scan machines, and embarking on large-scale agriculture.
“We are into agriculture big time. Today, we are one of the few states that is into practical agriculture. In addition to supporting farmers we have gone into the full scale cultivation of rice.
We are not only supporting farmers with input and all other necessary items, we are into real cultivation. We are getting ready to start harvesting our 3, 300 hectares of land that we will sell to Olam. We are doing it with our own resources. We didn’t borrow. We now have savings,” he added.
He further disclosed that as part of efforts to address traffic gridlock on the Abuja-Keffi expressway, Nasarawa State has secured federal approval to construct a flyover using its own resources.
He emphasized that these efforts in mining, tax automation, and partnerships with development agencies are part of a broader strategy to industrialize Nasarawa State, create jobs, and leverage its strategic position near the Federal Capital Territory for trade and industry.
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