Buhari’s Government and Ajaokuta Steel Complex – Michael Jegede

328
Spread the love

In recognition of what a completed Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASCO) holds for the growth of Nigeria’s economy, it is sad that successive governments in the country have absolutely failed to do the needful to ensure that the steel firm comes fully on board after about 40 years of awarding the contract. It is most pathetic to hear that the project, which has consumed over $5 billion and required just about $650 million to be completed, reached 98 per cent technical completion before work was stopped on it in 1992.

Prior to the election of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in 2011, he had asserted during his campaign then that, “One thing that is dear to Nigerians is the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, and until we revive that complex, we cannot talk about Vision 20:2020. This is because for you to play big globally, you must industrialise, and for you to industrialise, you must produce steel. The Ajaokuta Complex must be revived.”

Despite this proclamation, not much was done by his government towards the revitalisation of the abandoned national treasure. All through Jonathan’s years as president, it was zero allocation for the Ajaokuta Steel in the annual budget.

The outgoing senator, representing Kogi Central senatorial district in the Seventh Senate, Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, for instance, had noted that the outgoing president did not demonstrate enough zeal towards steel development in Nigeria, while flaying the zero allocation for capital projects in the budget for the Ajaokuta Steel Company in 2014.

Abatemi-Usman had asked: “Where is the place of Ajaokuta Steel in our bid for industrial revolution? Do we seem to understand the importance of steel and the significant role it can play in enhancing our economy? If you ask me, I will say that President Jonathan is just paying lip service to the issue of Ajaokuta Steel and steel development in general. Over three years down the line, we’ve not seen much from him in that regard.”

The big question now is: Will the Buhari government make a significant difference in the actualisation of the Ajaokuta Steel dream? Just like Jonathan in 2011, Buhari was reported to have promised to resuscitate ASCO if elected president.

During the campaigns for the 2015 presidential election, Buhari had explained in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, that the revival of the company, which has remained moribund for several years, will generate employment for the country’s teeming youth population and create wealth for Kogi State and the nation as a whole. He assured that the fortunes of the steel complex would change for the better if he assumed office.

Since his victory at the presidential poll, several calls and appeals have gone to Buhari not to renege on his promise to make Ajaokuta Steel work. For instance, during this year’s May Day, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) emphasized the need for Buhari to revive the Complex.

President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said, “This edifice was conceived to be the cornerstone of our administration. Unfortunately, our political class has refused to accept the simple truth that no country can truly industrialise without any iron and steel industry.’’

In the same vein, the deputy president, Nigeria Union of Mine Workers (NUMW), Chinedu Nwozor, equally implored Buhari to resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel. He stressed that solid steel base remained the true pillar of industrial revolution, describing ASCO as the economic hope of Nigeria.

The Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) also added their voice to the call to revive Ajaokuta Steel in the interest of our dear country. President of the NMGS, Prof. Olugbenga Okunlola, at a press conference in Abuja recently, said Buhari should leave no stone unturned to see to the full operation of Ajakouta Steel and the Itakpe National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO).

According to Okunlola, ASCO and NIOMCO have the potentials to serve as the backbone for economic diversification and industrialisation of the country. He said: “The potential of solid minerals sector is overwhelming and diverse. The diversity enables it to have the capacity to absorb any economic shock locally and globally. A nation that has more than 36 mineral types in about 8, 000 locations and still counting, has no reason to complain about poor state of the economy.”

Mr. Dan Kunle, a business development consultant with special interest in energy and steel, once lamented in an interview that, “We have all the natural resources to build a robust and competitive iron and steel industry which will consequently stimulate the other industries in Nigeria for our economic growth, but appropriate leadership has eluded us since 1966. Something is fundamentally wrong with us.

“Nigeria, with a population of about 160 million people, needs iron and steel of her own for economic and technological development.’’

Buhari should therefore not hesitate to put in place, necessary machineries that will dismantle all the stumbling blocks against the development of our country, including external influences.

Michael Jegede, a media aide to Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman wrote from Abuja.


Spread the love



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *