By Abubakar Yunusa
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has accused the Federal Government of economic marginalisation over its decision to site Nigeria’s national gold refinery in Lagos State.
In a statement on Thursday, NEF described the move as a deliberate act of economic dispossession, saying it deepens structural inequality and strips Northern communities of value addition.
Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, NEF’s spokesperson, said the decision was neither an oversight nor a policy error, but a calculated choice with far-reaching economic and security implications.
“The refinery’s location away from Northern gold-producing states perpetuates an extractive economic model reminiscent of colonial times, where raw materials are sourced from the periphery while wealth accumulates at the centre,” Jiddere said.
He warned that Northern elites, governors, lawmakers, and traditional leaders risk history’s judgment if they remain silent on what he called systemic economic exclusion.
The Forum cited constitutional provisions, including Sections 14(3), 16(1)(b), and 162(2), insisting the derivation principle must extend beyond fiscal allocation to industrial siting and resource-based development.
NEF urged the Federal Government to establish at least one primary gold refinery in Northern Nigeria, leaving Lagos for trading, certification, and export functions.
“The North is not seeking favour; it is demanding constitutional fairness and economic justice,” Jiddere said, adding that ignoring resource-proximate refining risks further insecurity, unemployment, and rural collapse.
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