Northern Elders Protest Siting of Gold in Lagos as Marginalisation
Northern Elders Protest Siting of Gold in Lagos as Marginalisation
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has condemned the Federal Government’s plan to establish a gold refinery in Lagos, labeling it a deliberate act of economic marginalization against the North.
The forum argues that since gold is primarily found in Northern Nigeria, placing value-adding infrastructure in the South-West undermines the economic interests of the resource-rich region.
Spokesperson Professor Abubakar Jiddere stated that this move carries grave economic and security implications. The group contends that the decision is a calculated strategy rather than a policy oversight, continuing a trend of extracting Northern wealth without providing the industrial base needed to create local jobs and wealth.
The NEF further described the extraction of raw materials from the North for processing elsewhere as a form of “internal colonialism.” They warned that shifting the industrial component away from the source denies the region technological growth and sustainable development, ultimately worsening local poverty and unemployment.
During the announcement, Professor Jiddere delivered a scathing critique, stating: “The decision to locate Nigeria’s gold refinery in Lagos while gold is mined from Northern soil is not a policy error. It is not an oversight. It is a deliberate act of economic dispossession. It strips value addition from Northern communities, exports opportunity to the already privileged center, and condemns the source regions to poverty, unemployment, and perpetual insecurity.”
The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development countered these claims by clarifying that the refinery is a private initiative, not a government project. Segun Tomori, media aide to Minister Dele Alake, explained that the facility belongs to a private firm, Kian Smith, and the government cannot dictate where private investors choose to locate.
The Ministry also dismissed allegations of unfairness, noting that other refineries are being developed by various private investors across the country.
They maintained that the Lagos facility aligns with the national “value-addition” policy, which aims to process minerals locally rather than exporting them raw to boost the overall economy.
Despite the government’s explanation, the NEF has called on Northern political leaders and governors to challenge what they view as systemic injustice. The forum remains firm that the current extractive model is unsustainable and continues to demand a more equitable distribution of industrial infrastructure across the nation.
