WorldStage Newsonline– A Borno member of House of Representatives, Honourable Zainab Gimba, has disclosed that the Ajaokuta steel project failed in the past because of deficiency in the country’s external infrastructural facilities like railway, roads and raw materials.
She made the disclosure in Abuja, the federal capital territory, while addressing representatives of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, the National Steel Council and members of the House Committee on Steel Development on a fence-mending parley over disagreement with some actions of ministry’s minister, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu with regard to intra-bodies collaboration on policies about the steel sector.
According to her, the Russian contractors of the steel plant left in 1996 after 98% completion level of the plant in 1994 because external infrastructural facilities were not on ground, just as they were pushing the federal government then to pay them off.
“We must also not forget that the human resources gap in Ajaokuta is real, even as all those that were fortunate to be trained on the job then have all retired, the fact of the matter is that the last Russian trainees came back in 1996,” she recalled further on the failure.
She therefore advised the federal government to be involved fully beyond provision of external infrastructure only, adding that it must be made that the country could not run a steel plant on budget and hence was left with joint venture option, as it’s available in oil sector.
Speaking further on how to develop and sustain the steel industry, Gimba said: “We should give the Russians the first option of refusal if they satisfy our conditions to bring the money and the technical know-how.
“There’s no need for the federal government to be in haste to get the $2b when we don’t have the technical audit report on Ajaokuta Steel Company. By the way, what happened with the last Technical Audit Repot?
“Can this committee take a look at it, Hon. Minister, if perhaps we can do a comparative when you come with one? Are we saying that the Federal Government should borrow the said $2b and then allow the Russians to do the rehabilitation process?
“We are fully aware that the Russians spent only one week for inspection, but those who are conversant with Ajaokuta steel company know that one week is just not enough for a comprehensive assessment of the plant.
“What we are saying is that we must endeavour to complete the rehabilitation process thoroughly given the fact that the plant has been abandoned for several years now. While we must engage ourselves in the real business of sourcing for raw materials, we must also handle the completion of the external infrastructural process.”
Above all, Gimba canvassed for building of human resources capacity, as according to her, the Ajaokuta steel plant is no longer 98% completed as it used to be, due to the long period of abandonment and decay.
