During the inauguration and swearing in of the President on the 29th of May, 2023 after he resoundingly won the Presidential election, the President in his inauguration speech did not waste anytime in announcing to the applause of the whole nation his renewed hope agendas. The renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinibu is indeed a new direction policies that emphasizes his policy direction in all sectors of the economy that he believes when implemented will pave the way for the overall development of the nation in all its physicality. The President did not waste time that his administration will be business unusual and simply put people that will implement his policies and programmes which will in turn lead to the diversification of the national Economy.
The President Bola Ahmed Tinibu’s administration did not mince words when launching its strategic policy documentation emphasizing that if wanded strongly in its first two years in office pursue the revival of the steel industry using it as one of the basic for the clarification of the Nigerian economy from conducted was aplauded by majority of all Nigerians who waited to see if the President was not only paying lip services to the issue of diversifying the economy from oil which it has over the years over depend upon as the main stay of revenue to the economy afloat was indeed a welcome development as the importance of diversification of the economy of the country can never be over emphasized.
To most analysts and professional in the steel industry in Nigeria, the pronouncement and declarations on diversification using the steel sector as one of the vehicle for its realization would not be taken seriously till the President appointed the Minister who would dire and implement his steel development policies and this was well justified because prior to the election success and swearing in of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Successive governments only pay hip service to the diversification of the national economy which analysts say efforts were below 5%.
After much hysteria, waiting game, conjectures , and suggestions in who the President will announce or should announce as his Minister of Steel development, President Bola Ahmed Tinibu, a known leadership recruiter, did announce, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, the leader of the Prince Abubakar Audu’s political dynasty, a young professional and technocrat from Kogi State as the nations new Minister for steel development. His mandate from the President when swearing him in as a minister of the federal Republic is revive immediately the steel sector and making it one of the country roadmap to help in the diversification efforts of the Present administration by contributing greatly to the GDP growth and the revenue accrual from it to the national economy.
The ovation over the appointment of this young technocrat and polished politician which many described as indeed a round peg in a round hole was so loud that it was expected that failure was not on his card but the destiny of Nigerian’s steel development revival was indeed on his head going forward.
To those who have followed the activities of the young Prince Shuabu Abubakar Audu over the years, they believes he is well equipped both educationally and have the fillip to get the job done and this is because of the can do spirit ethics of his father the late Prince Abubakar Audu. A lesson in leadership he instilled in his children as expected immediately he assumed office as the Minister of steel development. Prince Shuabu Audu Abubakar, as a master strategists, and a leader who do not wish to make changes just for the sake of it but believes in studying problems and carefully planning solutions used the first three months in office in studying the problems of the Ministry, especially the bureaucracy which drives the implementations of governments policies directives as regards the steel sector identifying changes to be made, reforming where necessary and preferring solutions to defeat problems identified.
To most analysts and watchers of the steel development sector, this was one of the strategic made by the minister that had played a major role in his successes so far in the steel development industry. Everybody would agree with the Minister that this move was a step in the right direction because it shows that it was a rapid departure from the past and a systematic approach to the future where technocrats and staff are changed based on output and not for the sake of making changes that would not lead to solving the problems on ground.
The Minister undertook a quick familiarization tour of the departments, agencies and parastatals under the Ministry to get a first hand grip of the situation of things on ground by himself and meet the managements and staff face to face, selling his programmes, mandates and working methods to them. It is on record that this led to the staffs and management sitting up or be show the way out by taking ownership of the new reforms and ways of doing things as introduced by the Minister. As of today, the Minister has reciprocated his demands from the staffs and managements of the agencies and parastatals under his Ministry by taking the staff welfare issues seriously. Prince Shaibu Abubakar Audu, is not one who is bossy in his place of work as he can leave his table and come down to get the job done. He is frugal and very inconvisible, simple and lives a life of modesty it is courage on the job and strength of character is making him a success in the Ministry. From being compared to an Aeroplan that moves slowly to gather momentum, he is now gliding into the air by making the Nigerian steel industry one of the best in world.
The Ministry of steel development in the first two years of the President Bola Ahmed Tinibu administration is now completely reformed to carryout the mandate of the President in the sector. The Minister has consulted widely with the players in the industry, and in tandem made decision agreed upon by all on what to do to make the sector work better knowing that plans of what to do and executing it to the latter. The Ministry under Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu now have a strategic plan document which it is daily and systematically implementing. The Minister who together with the mandates given to him by the president also pushed himself harder by also picking his priorities, by facing them dutifully by facing them by executing them.
No wonder, in the last 18 months which he has transverse the Ministry of steel development like a colossus, he is already leaving through some positive trail of light like a comet by successfully making most of our abandoned steel company come back to live. The national iron ore company at Itakpe and the national steel company Aladja are now back to life. The Ministry is now working hard to see to it that these companies increase their production level and even reaching its installed capacity very soon that Very shortly it will in turn be a major source of revenue generation and major contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Nigeria.
Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, who is just back from Delta State to inspect some of the agencies and companies under the ministry has vowed never to rest till he completely fulfill the mandate given to him by the President. Going forward, and in the years to come there is now hope over the despair of the past that the steel industry of the country will be completely back on stream as a major source of leading the industrial and technological advancements of the country what is left is for the government of the day to continue with the present pace of reform under the Minister Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu.
– Musa Wada writes from Abuja.
