The Nasarawa State Government has promised to sustain its efforts in utilizing the lithium resources to ensure that the first electric vehicles factory in Nigeria is established in the state.
Gov. Abdullahi Sule stated this at an event organized by the Abdullahi Sule Gidan-Gidan Support Group to celebrate his two years in office on Sunday in Lafia.
The state’s lithium reserves have garnered significant attention, particularly with the recent inauguration of a lithium processing factory in Nasarawa, built by Avatar New Energy Materials Company Limited.
He said this development aligned with the Federal Government’s efforts to promote clean energy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
He added that his government was determined to ensure that all mineral resources, including lithium produced in the state, were processed there before exporting or transported to other states and countries.
Sule said that despite the government efforts, it is only the first stage of lithium processing that is taking place in Nasarawa State at the moment.
“We will continue to engage investors and strategic partners to ensure that the second stage of the processing, which is the production of the battery and the eventual assembly of the vehicles, is done here in the state.
“My administration desires to achieve this, and even if we are unable to achieve it, I hope that anybody who is taking over from me in 2027 will pursue it to a logical conclusion.
“Because it is by achieving this that the state will be the number one economic we are dreaming for,” Gov. Sule added.
Sule also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his impressive economic reforms and promised to key into the president’s reforms for the overall development of the country.
The Nasarawa State Government has also promised that his remaining two years would be better than the last two years.
In his remarks, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, Deputy Gov. of the state said that lithium had always been in the state, but it took the foresight and ingenuity of the governor to expose it to the outside world.
Akabe further stated that there is a huge quantity of lithium deposits in various Local Government Areas of the state, and the government would leverage it to attract investors.
“Electric vehicles use batteries, which are produced by lithium, and Nasararawa State is the headquarters of lithium in the country,” he added.
In opening remarks, Hajiya Hussaina Sule, convener of the event and Chairperson of the Abdullahi Sule Gidan-Gidan Support Group, said that the event was to celebrate the milestone achievements of the governor in the last two years.
The convener, who incidentally is the daughter of the governor, said he has executed a lot of legacy projects across all sectors.
She listed some of the projects including flyovers and underpasses in Lafia and Akwanga LGAs and the State Secretariat complex in Lafia for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
“Construction of over 600 kilometers of urban and rural roads, dualisation of Shandam road, ongoing bypass in Lafia and Akwanga and huge investment in security of the state.
Others are the employment of over 400 youths in civil service, the implementation of the new minimum wage, the implementation of over 10 years of outstanding promotions, and the construction of many blocks of classrooms, among others.
The convener further said that the state was lucky to have a man like the governor to lead the state at this time and said that it was only God that would reward him for his development strides. (NAN).