Dele Alake, Nigeria's Minister of Solid Materials, told DW the government would"do everything possible to discourage the carting away of our solid minerals without value addition."
Alake said that the move is critical to help create jobs."I am glad to mention that such an initiative is already on stream as some companies have already commenced operations in Nigeria." But it is not only the revenue from lithium that is a focus for Nigerian authorities. They say they also want to ensure that the mineral isn't mined to the detriment of the environment.
Dele Anyoleke, president of the Miners Association of Nigeria, told DW that health and safety issues involved in mining newly discovered materials are not always addressed. In addition,"whenever there is a discovery of a new mineral, all these artisanal miners would swing into such a place. They don't need to dig. They don't need to blast."When mining, you need to protect the environment.