In this interview with PremiumNews,Mohammed Bougei Attah, national secretary of the National Conference on Ajaokuta Project and a member Technical Consultative Committee of the Strategy Implementation Task Office For Presidential Executive Order 5,shares his thoughts on the nation’s Ajaokuta Steel Complex and why his group’s effort in bringing the project to life inspite of the age-long delays
Excerpts:
Since the establishment of the Ajaokuta Steel Company in 1979 by Late President Shehu Shagari, it has not produced anything. What are your worries about this development?
I think it is wrong to say or assume the steel company has nothing produced anything. Though I am not directly engaged with the company or a feeder organization to say this, despite the reality that the plant has not been 100% completed, it has in the last 20 years or produced steels, billets, turnkeys and power turbines that have served the country in many ways. Many industries today like cable metals, automobile, hospitals and others rely on the products from Ajaokuta Steel Company*
What do you think has been slowing down the company from coming to life and what has the nation lost due to the non completion of the complex?
Several factors, which include political will on the part of our leaders and lack of patriotism by successive Presidents have contributed to the delays in reverse the plant to full capacity production.This as we know have caused the nations several economic losses ranging from exports, manufacturing of heavy duty equipments, denying us of the much sought after industrialization*
The Ajaokuta Steel Complex was said to have been at 98% completion since 1994,why is it taken long for the 2% to have a full and functional steel company for the country?
The 98% completion you mentioned is not entirely ascertained because the steel company has been producing metals since 1994 as well as turnkey machinery that is difficult to conclude it is 98% completed. However, reports of several audits of the steel company puts the estimated at 95%, which is not too different from 98%you mentioned. In a plant with the magnitude of resources, 3% could make a huge difference.
So it has taken this long because as I mentioned earlier, past leaders are not committed to it’s completion and full operations
What do you think is the relevance of Russia in bringing the complex to life when Nigeria would have build on the expertise of indigenous professionals in the country?
Yes, Nigeria can today boast of experts trained across the globe in steel competences, but the fact remains that the Russians are the original builders on one hand, and that they are yet to complete the plant before they left the country.
The natural thing that should happen it to run a complete plant, at least for about 10 years when the technology would have been totally transferred to the local experts, which are Nigerians
President Muhammadu Buhari had promised to change the narratives in Ajaokuta Steel Company following the initiatives he had pursued so far.Would you say the president is on the right track?.If he’s not,what should he do to make the resuscitation of the steel company a dream come true?
President Muhammadu Buhari’s body language, as you mentioned above is 100% committed to reviving the steel plant, to a point of making it a legacy project. There’s no President or administration after Shehu Shagari that have been so committed to the resusitation of Ajaokuta Steel Company like President Muhammadu Buhari and his lieutenants. So it is right to say he’s on track and all efforts are been made to get the company back on course.
What informed your group’s ongoing action for the resuscitation of Ajaokuta Steel Company when others feel it should be privatized?
There are several untold stories about the Steel Company that Nigerians need to be guided. You will notice that until we began to tell the real story about Ajaokuta, the general impression is that the company is moribund. Of course you heard the sole administrator said recently that the steel company is very much intact and it’s not obsolete the way some describes it. So our advocacy is first and foremost to tell the true and current story the plant, two to support this present administration in the ongoing efforts to bring back the industry into full capacity, and of course to assure the leadership of the country that the civil society are very much aware of the challenges militating against its quick revival, and therefore move the citizenry to a more positive moral support to the administration.
Your group recently held a mini conference on Ajaokuta Steel in Lokoja.Could you share with us details of what transfered at the conference?The event was a one day roundtable that brought together stakeholders from the host community and beyond, to dialogue and share ideas on how to support government in achieving the expected goal about Ajaokuta. Of course, it is also meant to address what we can say may come as agitation from the grassroots, as we witnessed in the Niger Delta region. So it is about thinking ahead and getting the community ready for the great expectationsWhat should we expect at the larger conference in Abuja later this month?Will it be different ?The expectations are that Nigerians who are the stakeholders will have a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from the Administrators, managers and leaders who the Ajaokuta affairs are vested on. There have been several unclear and diverse positions on the Ajaokuta phenomenon, but we have been able to reassure many a Nigerians that this administration is serious and committed to the revival of the steel company.So the difference will be that Nigerians and their leaders will be working together and knowing that it is all for the good of all.Apart from conferences and seminars,what other action plans are you embarking on to bring the Ajaokuta Steel to fruition.What is your group’s relationship with the workers of the steel company?On the first question about other line of actions, let say for now that we shall sustain this advocacy, including monitoring and reporting back process. And on the second question, let me state clearly here that ours is to ensure all stakeholders are involved in the discussions, evaluation and promotion of the issues around Ajaokuta.
By this, the unions who are part of the active civil society, the private sector and the government are put together for informed results. This mean that we have good working relationship with the Unions, as it was evident during the presence during the Lokoja State Level Stakeholders Roundtable on Ajaokuta
How best do you think Nigeria can achieve industrialization in the face of economic challenges in the country?
With Ajaokuta in full operations, Nigeria will in no distance time become an industrialized nations with robust economy. Ajaokuta is the gateway to Nigeria’s Industrialization and it’s revival will help in reducing Nigeria’s foreign, through the competitiveness at the international space
