Nigeria is poised to produce 4,000 tonnes of lithium per day, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, said on Monday in Abuja.

Declaring open a two-day roundtable on Sustainable Development of Nigeria’s Mining Sector, Shettima said President Bola Tinubu would soon inaugurate Nigeria‘s largest lithium factory capable of processing 4,000 metric tonnes of lithium per day.

He noted that the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake performed a ground-breaking ceremony for the Lithium factory in Nasarawa in 2023 to produce 18,000 metric tonnes of lithium per day.

Shettima said that more lithium sites were being discovered across the country.

Lithium is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. It is the least dense solid element and is a critical solid mineral in the global energy transition.

It is currently mined in Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Ekiti and Cross River states.

The vice-president commended Alake for the reforms he had brought to the solid minerals sector particularly his plan to sanitise and reposition the sector to boost Nigeria’s economic profile.

He also commended the Minister for making the sector public and private sectors-driven, adding that the approach would open up the sector for opportunities and fast-track its development.

Shettima was represented at the roundtable by Nasarawa’s Gov. Abdullahi Sule,

Speaking at the event, Alake said the ministry’s seven-point agenda was in line with President Tinubu’s commitment to diversify Nigeria’s economy.

He said that one of the ministry’s critical seven-point agenda was the emphasis placed on local value addition through policies that promoted the processing of raw minerals because of the economic multiplier effects.

He thanked the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, near Jos, for organising the summit.

Alake said the development of the solid minerals sector required collective responsibility by all stakeholders to make it a key contributor to the national economy.

He noted that the roundtable would enrich the analysis of the sector and its recommendations would guide the Executive arm of government in decision-making.

“NIPSS deserves commendation for prioritising the mining sector and in appreciating the strategic value the president placed on diversifying the nation’s economy,” he said.

Alake said also that a dual-pronged approach, combining coercive and persuasive methods, was employed to combat illegal mining and to attract foreign direct investment to the sector.

He explained that the persuasive measure entailed formalising artisanal and illegal miners into cooperatives and that 150 of such cooperatives had been registered so far.

The minister said the coercive method involved the establishment of a Mining Marshal Corps deployed across the country to secure mining environments.

He stressed the importance of geoscience data in providing investors with information on the location and quantity of minerals, among others, to help them to “de-risk” investments.

Alake said that a preliminary survey by a German company revealed an estimated 750 billion dollars’ worth of solid minerals in the belly of Nigeria.

Earlier, the Director-General of NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, said the roundtable aimed at charting a way forward to deliver a diversified economy and to formulate policies to advance the mining sector.

NIPPS organised the roundtable in collaboration with a consulting firm.

…Border residents stranded as petrol hits N1,000 per litre

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has informed the public that the current fuel shortages and the accompanying queues will be resolved by Wednesday.

The Chief Communications Officer at NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye shared this information with journalists on Tuesday in Lagos.

He stated that the company has more than 1.5 billion litres of fuel in stock, sufficient to last for at least 30 days.

“Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits.

“Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain.

“The lines will be cleared out between today and tomorrow,” Soneye assured.

Similarly,  the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Hammed Fashola, has expressed optimism that the fuel queues in Lagos and Ogun will diminish this week, based on assurances from the NNPC.

However, Fashola noted that the queues in Abuja might persist longer because of the distance from Lagos.

“The information available to us from the NNPC Ltd was that there was a logistics problem, and when that happens, it will disrupt the supply chain.

“That might be a delay in the movement of ships from the mother vessel to the daughter vessel before it gets to the depot tanks.

“Before we can correct that, surely it will take some days. I think by Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be more products available for lifting by marketers.

“It might take time before it can ease off in Abuja, considering the distance to Lagos and the bad roads, Lagos might be calm this new week,” Fashola said.

Meanwhile residents of Badagry, Lagos were stranded on Tuesday as most commercial vehicles plying the area were off the road due to scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol.

Correspondent, who monitored the situation, reports that many workers and businessmen were sighted waiting endlessly at some bus stops due to unavailability of vehicles.

The situation led to a hike in transport fare as a litre of petrol in the area now sells as high as N1,000, while fare rose from N800 to N1,500 from Badagry to Mile 2.

At some popular bus stations in Badagry – Aradagun, Mowo and Agemowo, scores of residents were seen struggling to enter a few available taxis and commercial buses.

Mr Johnson Afilaka, a Badagry resident, said he could not go to work on Monday due to an increase in transport fare from Badagry to Mile 2.

“Today, we queued up for buses, but none came. A few taxis that came raised their fares so high.

“Government should come to our aid in Badagry by providing some of the Lagos BRT buses for us here,” he said.

Mrs Christiana Adigun, a staff of the National Population Commission (NPC), said she could not drive to her office due to difficulty in getting petrol for her car.

She said that in spite of the fact that she was willing to buy a litre at N1,000, it was difficult to get the product, adding that getting a commercial vehicle to her office also posed another challenge.

On sales of petrol in Badagry, only the NNPC fuel station at Aradagun and Mobil fuel station in Badagry were selling at official prices of N568 and N610 respectively.

However, other independent marketers with fuel stations were selling between N950 and N1,000 per litre.

Mr Friday Ajasa, a motorist, said his car had been on the queue at NNPC Aradagun since 7.00.a.m, adding that as at 12.00.noon, he was yet to get the product.

“When we blame the government for the scarcity, we should as well blame petrol marketers in Badagry for the hike because they are not helping the situation.

“Some of the cars on queue at the fuel stations in Badagry belong to cross- border illegal petrol dealers who usually take the product to Benin Republic to re-sell.

“Most of the major marketers here prefer to sell to them rather than sell to residents and this is the height of unpatriotic conduct.

“When these people enter, they buy up to 350 litres of petrol inside one car, and for us who just wanted 15 litres in our vehicles, they will tell you that petrol has finished,” he said.

Mrs Funke Alabi, a motorist on queue at Mobil filling station, called on security agents to check excesses of petrol pump attendants in the area.

Explaining the reason for petrol scarcity, Alhaji Abdul-Ganiyu Adelani, the Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers, Badagry, blamed the scarcity on lack of product at NNPC tank farm.

Adelani urged the NNPC to make available more petrol in their tank farms so that all filling stations in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria would get enough supply.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Osun has warned petroleum marketers in the state against hoarding.

The agency also warned residents of the state against panic buying, hoarding and storing of petroleum products at home.

The State Coordinator of NMDPRA, Mr Adekunle Adeyemo gave the warning while speaking with journalists on Monday in Osogbo.

Adeyemo said that the surveillance team of the agency would be all out to ensure that no filling stations hoard the product.

He said that any marketers caught hoarding the fuel or engaging in any form of sharp practices would be dealt with in accordance with the dictates of the law.

Adeyemo promised that the agency would intensify its monitoring and surveillance of outlets in line with its regulatory mandate to ensure compliance with quality, quantity and safety of operations.

According to him, the government is doing everything possible to ensure adequate availability of the product, and it will be unfair for independent marketers who have the product in stock to be hoarding it.

“We want to appeal to independent marketers who have petroleum products in stock to stop hoarding.

“It will be inhuman for those who have the product to be hoarding and inflating the pump price.

“The surveillance team of the agency is already out to ensure that those who have the product are dispensing it to motorists at a reasonable price.

“However, any filling station caught hoarding the product with the view of inflicting pains on the masses will not be spared.

“Yes, there might be a little challenge in the supply process, but relevant government agencies are doing everything possible to ensure that the situation is normalised.

“We will not fold our hands while some few individuals will inflict undue pain on the residents of the state by hoarding the products,” he said.

Adeyemo appealed to petroleum marketers to always adhere strictly to standard safety practices in their filling stations.

He warned that any marketer that violates the standard procedure would be dealt with according to the law.

Adeyemo also appealed to consumers to report sharp practices such as under-dispensing, to the agency for appropriate action.

The NMDPRA boss also warned against storing petroleum products at homes, adding that such can cause a fire outbreak.

He said that people needed to be very careful with how they handle petroleum products.

“Storing of petroleum products at home can result in a fire outbreak, which can lead to the destruction of lives and property.

“We have to be wise, there’s no reason for panic buying or hoarding of the product because the government is doing everything possible towards adequate supply of the product,” he said.