Tinubu to commission new 6,000MT lithium plant in Nasarawa

By Kunle Sanni –

President Bola Tinubu will soon visit Nasarawa State to inaugurate a newly completed 6,000-metric-ton lithium processing plant, Governor Abdullahi Sule announced on Wednesday.

Briefing journalists after meeting the President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Sule said the Chinese-funded facility, located in Nasarawa Local Government Area, is twice the size of a similar 3,000MT plant commissioned in the state last year.

“The investors promised to build a bigger one after the first plant, and they have delivered. Mr. President has assured us he will personally come to commission it once he returns from his short trip to France,” the governor said.

Nasarawa is fast emerging as a hub for lithium development in Nigeria, with the mineral gaining strategic importance in global energy transition efforts. Lithium is widely used in electric vehicle batteries, solar power storage, and other renewable energy technologies, and investor interest in Nigeria’s deposits has surged in recent years.

Sule explained that the discovery of high-quality lithium in commercial quantities encouraged investors to scale up operations. He also credited recent federal economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of exchange rates, with boosting state revenues and enabling Nasarawa to fund infrastructure without resorting to bank loans.

Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has emphasized value addition in the solid minerals sector, discouraging raw exports and promoting domestic refining. The Federal Government has also launched a mining police unit to clamp down on illegal mining, particularly in the north-central region where artisanal activities are common.

Earlier this year, President Tinubu outlined Nigeria’s ambition to become a regional hub for lithium-ion battery and solar panel manufacturing, leveraging global demand and the country’s mineral wealth.