Nasarawa to establish Nigeria’s first electric vehicle factory

The Nasarawa state government says it is committed to leveraging its abundant lithium deposits to establish the first electric vehicle (EV) factory in Nigeria.

Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa governor, disclosed this on Sunday at an event in Lafia organized by the Abdullahi Sule Gidan-Gidan Support Group to mark his six years in office.

Sule said the move aligns with the federal government’s push for clean energy and a gradual shift from fossil fuels.

The governor added that his administration would ensure that all mineral resources, including lithium produced in Nasarawa, were processed in the state before exported or transported to other states and countries.

He noted that although a lithium processing factory, built by Avatar New Energy Materials Company Limited, has already been inaugurated in the state, it currently only handles the first phase of processing.

“We will continue to engage investors and strategic partners to ensure that the second stage, which is the production of battery and assembling of vehicles in the state,” he said.

“My administration’s desire is to achieve this milestone.”

The governor said his tenure may end before the project is fully realized, but expressed confidence that his successor would continue and complete it.