Ajaokuta steel company: IAAI seeks quick completion.

[FMINigeria]

                        The Initiative for the Actualization of Ajaokuta and Itakpe (IAAI) has staged a peaceful protest march to the National Assembly condemning the protracted delay in the completion of Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASCO).  The group said that the continual delay in the completion of the project would not lead to the industrialization of the country.

In a message to the President of the Senate and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the Chairman of IAAI, Mohammed Bashir Sani Omolori commended the administration for acknowledging the importance of the steel projects and called on government to complete it. "A lot has been achieved with the project, yet, a lot more is needed to get it off and running," Omolori said.

"We implore the Presidency to reactivate, complete and commission the first phase of Ajaokuta Steel plant and associated infrastructures, as well as resolve the legal issues of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO).  Furthermore, government should urgently permit the disbursement of the Federal Solid Mineral Development Fund to provide essential capital needs of Ajaokuta steel," Omolori said.

Molori further advised the leadership of the country to toe the path of progress by summoning the courage to do all that is necessary to put the country on a path of sustainable industrialization, saying that only by means of industrialization will Nigeria take her place of pride in the committee of important nations.

"At this juncture, don't be afraid to put Nigeria on a firm foundation, on a trajectory for growth and future industrial development," he said, adding that the steel project is of immense importance toward attaining the administration's vision 20:2020 program.

The group argued that "Iron and steel is second to oil as revenue earner for the country" and warned the Federal Government against imperial voices against the project.

"ASCO alone and the 1.3 m tons first phase completion will directly employ ten thousand professionals – engineers, technologists and so on. By the employment of the ten thousand professionals, there will be a further generation of other activities which will again increase employment generation to a figure that is close to a million.  Apart from this, so many other activities such as akara sellers, welders and so on, will emerge and it will put the total employment to be generated to two million.

When ASCO gets to the 3rd phase by which time, it produces 5.3 million tons of steel per annum; there will be a multiplier effect of the employment opportunities."

"Britain, Germany, France, Japan, China and America have made a difference through industrialization which can make a country.  All the countries that are seen as "developed" placed premium on Iron and Steel development first.

Omolori further called on the Goodluck administration to "disregard the evaluation report on Ajaokuta by Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF)," adding that the report was neither in the interest of Nigeria nor the uncompleted steel plant."

Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria