Nigeria, Jan. 20 -- The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has dismissed as false and misleading claims by the Northern Elders' Forum (NEF) alleging that the Federal Government sited a gold refinery in Lagos in violation of the federal character principle.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Ministry said the allegation, credited to the NEF and signed by its spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, was based on misinformation and a clear misunderstanding of facts surrounding the refinery project.

According to the Ministry, the gold refinery in question is not owned, established, or funded by the Federal Government but is a private-sector initiative of Kian Smith Company, a wholly Nigerian-owned mining firm.

The project, it...