The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ajaokuta

  • ‘Don’t sell Ajaokuta at scrap value’

    The Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd., in Kogi State, has entered into partnership with a consortium of investors to reactivate and operate completed units of the steel plant.

    Its Sole Administrator, Mr Joseph Isah, told the visiting executive members of the Kogi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) that the project was 98 per cent completed, advising Nigerians not to canvass for its sale “at scrap value”.

    He said some of the completed units of the steel plant could be reactivated and operated commercially.

    “As an integrated steel plant with series of completed units, some of which can be operated commercially, we are currently going into partnerships with a number of investors to reactivate them.

    “Such completed units include the engineering works, light section mill, wire rod mill, thermal power plant and the Metallurgical Training Centre (MTC) among others.’’

    He said that the company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MessrsReprome Nigeria Ltd. for sourcing of spares and technical assistance.

    The administrator said that the company had also signed another MOU with the Industrial Training Fund for training and manpower development.

    According to him, this is in line with the National Industrial Skill Development Programme of the Federal Government to train 1000 trainees in each state.

    Isah, who described company as the “bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialisation,” attributed its woes to Western conspiracy and indigenous collusion.

    He said some leaders in government were ignorant of the potential of the company, urging journalists to give the steel company the needed publicity.

    Earlier, the NUJ Chairman, Malam Ali Atabor, said that people generally believed that the company had failed, adding that the visit of the NUJ members had proved the contrary.

    The chairman urged Nigerian leaders not to succumb to western propaganda to stifle the country’s industrialisation, advising the leaders to take the completion of the steel project seriously.

    Atabor urged the management to revive the MTC for the training of manpower.

    He hailed the vision and focus of the company’s leadership to turn it around.

  • Ajaokuta, steel, NIMC get sole administrator

    President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of Isa Joseph Onobere as the Sole Administrator for Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited.

    Onobere, a metallurgical engineer, was also a top management staff of the company. He hails from Kogi State.

    Also, Abubakar Yaro Ibrahim was appointed the Sole Administrator for the National Iron Mining Company, Itakpe also in Kogi State.

    Ibrahim, a Mining Engineer, hails from Taraba State.

    Their appointments are with immediate effect.

    Minister of Mines and Steel Developmet, Musa Mohammed Sada announced the appointments yesterday.

    The Minister noted that the two sole administrators were appointed on the basis of their experiences and professionalism in the

    minerals and metals sector, that they should be able to bring about the expected turn around in the two facilities.

    The handing and taking over ceremonies between the new Sole Administrators and the former Interim Management Committee on the two companies are expected to be completed within one week.

    Arc. Sada explained that what informed Federal Government’s decision on the appointment of the new sole administrators for the two companies was to inject new ideas into the two facilities to make them operational in line with the transformation agenda on service delivery.