President Bola Tinubu has officially commissioned West Africa's largest lithium processing plant in the Endo community of Nasarawa Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. The plant, operated by Diamond New Energy, boasts a daily processing capacity of 6,000 metric tonnes and an annual capacity of three million metric tonnes. Since commencing operations, it has generated over 1,000 direct jobs and more than 2,000 indirect jobs in the host community.
Inauguration and Government Representation
Tinubu was represented at the ceremony by Vice President Kashim Shettima. During his address, the president emphasized that solid minerals form the enduring foundation of any economy but warned that resource wealth alone does not guarantee national prosperity. He stated: "Across the world, countries blessed with minerals, oil, gas, fertile lands, and strategic locations remain trapped in poverty because they failed to convert these resources into productive capacity, while nations with far fewer advantages have risen to global prominence through discipline, enterprise, technology, skills, and industrial organisation."
Industrial Agenda and Lithium's Role
Tinubu framed the inauguration as part of a broader industrial agenda rather than a symbolic occasion, adding: "A factory is never just a building; it is where policy becomes employment, where investment becomes production, and where hope begins to acquire structure." He described lithium as one of the defining minerals of the current global energy transition, central to battery technology, electric mobility, and renewable energy storage.
Ban on Raw Mineral Exports
Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake used the occasion to reaffirm the government's policy prohibiting the export of unprocessed minerals. He said local value addition had become a cornerstone of the ministry's agenda and praised Diamond Energy Group for embracing the directive. "Our goal is to begin to produce lithium batteries, vehicles, phones, solar panels, solar-powered turbines, and every gadget that uses lithium as a base requirement for its performance. We want to produce everything in Nigeria," Alake declared.
State Government and Investor Perspectives
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule commended the investors and urged other players in the mining sector to consider the state, citing commercial quantities of lead, zinc, lithium, copper, gemstones, gold, marble, and iron ore. Yu Chongqiang, Ambassador for JULING and CANMAX, speaking on behalf of Diamond New Energy, said the company was built on the conviction that Nigeria should not merely participate in the global minerals market but lead it through responsible development and industrial innovation.
Additional Infrastructure Development
In a related development, President Tinubu has approved 27 major road projects worth over ₦3.9 trillion across 15 states. The announcement was made on Monday, June 29, 2026, by Minister of Works David Umahi after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja.
