THE Senator representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi has appealed to the Federal Government to make haste to complete and make functional the moribund Steel Complex at Ajaokuta, Kogi State or hand over the complex to Kogi State Government.
The senator was of the opinion that it is inexplicable for a developing nation like Nigeria to abandon a major iron and steel facility in the mould of Ajaokuta Steel, especially considering that it is fundamental to the country’s economic development.
Adeyemi who spoke to journalists noted that the moribund iron and steel company at Ajaokuta is equally capable of providing billions of dollars to boost the industrialisation and strong economic base for Nigeria through foreign investors.
Besides, the Senator said the Kaduna State government’s intervention model through the building of a state-owned iron ore firm recently, with the potential for the creation of thousands of jobs and wealth for the state, should be adopted by way of bringing the Ajaokuta Steel Complex under the control of Kogi State Government.
He, therefore, urged the federal government to allow the Kogi State government to take over the complex in order to create wealth and employment for millions of unemployed and competent Nigerians.
According to him, “it is a painful and poor economic policy to abandon Ajaokuta iron and steel. The Steel Complex has the potential of providing gainful employment to over 50,000 Nigerians. It is saddening that a potential game-changer for the monolithic economy which started over 40 years ago is still at the stage of abandonment. If the Federal Government is not ready to see to its completion and functionality, it should be handed over to Kogi State, which I believe will do the needful the way the Kaduna State government built an iron ore firm recently with the potential for the creation of thousands of jobs and quantum wealth for the state”.
He added, “The President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government is, no doubt, trying as far as the building of infrastructure is concerned but such legacies as Ajaokuta Steel without completion and functional refineries will not make much impact economically”.
Adeyemi also urged the Federal Government to leverage the gains from current sales of crude oil at the international market to fix idle refineries or construct new ones.