President Bola Tinubu is set to inaugurate a new 6,000-metric-ton lithium processing plant built by Chinese investors in Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule has announced.
Sule disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with the President on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The facility, located in Nasarawa Local Government Area, is the second lithium plant in the state and is twice the size of the 3,000MT plant commissioned in 2023.
Although no specific date was given, the governor said the inauguration would take place after President Tinubu’s return from his official trip to France.
“The Chinese investors have just concluded building the plant and it is ready for commissioning. Mr President promised that on his return from his short vacation, he will come to Nasarawa to commission the project,” Sule said.
Lithium, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems, has attracted growing foreign investment amid the global transition to clean energy.
Sule noted that the project aligns with his administration’s goal of positioning Nasarawa as a hub for lithium processing.
“Today, we are talking about a lithium processing plant just completed by an investor from China. If you recall, last year (2024), we commissioned a 3,000MT capacity lithium processing plant in Nasarawa Local Government Area.
“Another set of investors, impressed by the quality and commercial quantity of lithium deposits in the state, fulfilled their promise to build a bigger plant,” he explained.
The governor added that since the Buhari administration, the Federal Government has been working to attract more value-added investments in critical minerals.
He also credited the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms for enabling infrastructure expansion and boosting investor confidence.
“There has been significant revenue improvement. With the huge improvement we have seen, we came with the passion to do more. Instead of borrowing from banks, we are now utilising the improved resources available to us,” Sule said.
He further disclosed that the state government is scaling up agricultural development by leveraging new revenue streams and strengthened investor interest.
