• About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Sunday, February 5, 2023
  • Login
Vital News
  • Frontpage
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Crime
    • Judiciary
    • Security
No Result
View All Result
  • Frontpage
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Crime
    • Judiciary
    • Security
No Result
View All Result
Vital News
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Privatisation Remains Best Option To Revamp Ajaokuta Steel Coy – Administrator

Vital News by Vital News
November 11, 2022
in Business
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Abuja – Sumaila Abdul-Akaba, the Sole Administrator of the Ajaokuta Steel Company, said privatisation is the best option to revamp the moribund steel complex in Kogi State, North Central of Nigeria.

He said this has become inevitable because government doesn’t have the resources to complete the outstanding phases for its full op­erationalisation.

Abdul-Akaba spoke while defending the 2023 budget of the company before the House of Representatives committee on Mines and Steel, in Abuja.

He said the size of the asset and quality of equipment installed at the company can generate up to $6 billion should Nigeria de­cide to liquidate the company by selling it as scrap.

He disclosed that the steel complex is a “massive infrastructure and the Russians who built it gave us the best of technology and enough spare parts to maintain it for many years.

RelatedStories

Dispense New Naira Notes Or Forfeit Your Land Titles, Zulum Threatens Banks In Borno

Dangote, Sinoma Sign Agreement On 6Mta Cement Plant In Itori, Ogun State 

Consistency, Resilience key To Business Success – Expert

James Ejiga Sunday Accuses Gabriel Enemona Of Attempting To Frustrate N17.5mln Fraud Case

“Privatisation of the asset is the best way to go if done the right way. Government doesn’t have the resources to complete it and run it as required, which is why private sector participa­tion either through consession­ing or partnership agreement would be a good development.”

Ajaokuta Steel Complex

He said while the complex generates its own power which is sustainable, it hasn’t explored the idea of selling the same to the national grid because it’s a management decision that re­quires board approvals.

Lawmakers had asked the Sole Administrator why the company is not maximis­ing its electricity generation potential, as well as other prod­ucts despite posting huge wage bills on personnel, security and maintenance activities.

Responding, Abdul-Akaba said the amount spent on per­sonnel for security and main­tenance of equipment was justifiable.

He stated that before the engagement of the security personnel, equipment worth billions of naira were stolen from the facility.

According to him, the amount utilised for the pay­ment of some staff who are not on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System was meaningful owing to the services they offer.

“Anytime you look at the personnel cost, most of the questions people ask is why you are keeping these person­nel. Ajaokuta investment is within six billion to eight bil­lion dollars and if you look at the amount we are spending to keep the plants, I don’t think that is too much.

“Aside from that, one of the basic things we should go to lat­er, if I finish the details of this performance, is the security is­sues.

“We have also spent a lot of money on security. As of today, we have over two hundred and twenty security guards that are officially not on the payroll of IPPIS,” he said.

The Sole Administrator also said the company engaged the Federal Fire Service and the Military, Department of State Services and that the company sees to their welfare.

He, therefore, called for the removal of bureaucracies for the company to commence im­mediately.

“If Ajaokuta project is ini­tiated and completed, funds won’t be a problem but one of the problems is bureaucracy.

“I can assure you that if that company becomes fully oper­ational today, it will pay itself and recoup money invested within 10 years,” Akaba said.

He maintained that Nigeria is not doing enough to utilise the Ajaokuta Steel to change the fortunes of the country.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims, stressed that the place of steel industry in the devel­opment and industrialisation plans of the country is non-ex­istent, adding that Nigeria must be proactive to revive the mines and steel industry.

Some members of the com­mittee raised key questions on how long Nigeria will continue to play around the issue of in­dustrialisation without making serious efforts to revamp the Ajaokuta Steel Complex.

Hon. Bem Mzondu alleged that there are a lot of “interna­tional conspiracies” militating against the realisation of the Ajaokuta dream, which, ac­cording to him, stakeholders were not ready to look in that direction.

Also, during the session, the Executive Director of the National Metallurgical Devel­opment Centre, Jos, Professor Linus Asuquo, said the sum of N718. 3 million has been proposed for capital as seven projects have been earmarked for execution.

Professor Asuquo solicited more funds to address some shortfalls, outsourcing of some services, as well as carry out its key objective of research and development.

Similarly, the Sole Admin­istrator of the National Iron Ore Mining Company Limit­ed, Itakpe, Kogi State, Mr Augustus Nke­chika, decried the N60 million allocation to the company for overhead expenditure.

He said the company sits on tens of thousands of acres of land, does a lot of mining pros­pecting with a view to discov­ering more areas of mineral deposits for explorations.

The committee, however, adopted his presentation and asked him to expect its feed­back.

Tags: AjaokutacomplexKogiSteel
Previous Post

I will Not Respond To Untrue, Ugly Rumours – Tinubu

Next Post

Kogi NLC Commends Bello Over Implementation Of 2018 Promotion

Vital News

Vital News

RelatedStories

Boko Haram Left Borno With Bank Branches In Two Out Of 27 Local Governments—Zulum
Business

Dispense New Naira Notes Or Forfeit Your Land Titles, Zulum Threatens Banks In Borno

February 4, 2023
Dangote, Sinoma Sign Agreement On 6Mta Cement Plant In Itori, Ogun State 
Business

Dangote, Sinoma Sign Agreement On 6Mta Cement Plant In Itori, Ogun State 

February 2, 2023
Consistency, Resilience key To Business Success – Expert
Business

Consistency, Resilience key To Business Success – Expert

January 31, 2023
Business

James Ejiga Sunday Accuses Gabriel Enemona Of Attempting To Frustrate N17.5mln Fraud Case

January 29, 2023
In Lagos, Buhari Unveils Biggest Rice Mill In Africa
Agriculture/ Water/ Mineral

In Lagos, Buhari Unveils Biggest Rice Mill In Africa

January 24, 2023
Next Post

Kogi NLC Commends Bello Over Implementation Of 2018 Promotion

2023 : INEC Panic Over Attacks, Holds Emergency Security Meeting Today

IGP To Probe Attack On Atiku’s Convoy In Borno

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Recommended

Embalo, Guinea Bisau President is ECOWAS new Chairman

7 months ago

Court grants NDLEA request to detain Kyari for two weeks

12 months ago

Lagos Ban Okada Operations In 4 More LGs

6 months ago

Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Rises to 17.71% In May – NBS

8 months ago

Instagram

    Please install/update and activate JNews Instagram plugin.

Categories

  • Agriculture/ Water/ Mineral
  • Aviation
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Football
  • Foreign
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Judiciary
  • Labour
  • National
  • News
  • Oil & Gas
  • Opinion
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Power
  • Religion
  • Security
  • Sports
  • Transport
  • Uncategorized

Topics

Abuja APC arrest Atiku attack Bandits Bello Buhari campaign candidate CBN cement church Court Dangote death die drugs EFCC Election elections FG Fraud FRSC gunmen INEC Kaduna kidnap Kill Kogi Lagos NDLEA Niger Nigeria Nigerians Ogun Oil PDP Police road Security Senate Tinubu train victims
No Result
View All Result

Highlights

Pray, Work For Credible Elections, Methodist Archbishop, Others Urge Nigerians

Buhari Condemns Killing of 41 Vigilantes By Terrorists In Katsina

BVAS Did Not Fail During Osun Governorship Election, We Have Learnt Some Lessons – INEC Chairman

Nigeria’s Problem Is Growth, Not Debt, Revenue – Dr Andrew Nevin

STOP CONDEMNING NIGERIA, WE ARE DOING BETTER THAN MOST COUNTRIES – Dr Sunday Adelaja

INCOMPETENCE WEDS CORRUPTION the quickest way To Kill A Nation – Niyi Osundare            1

Trending

REVEALED : How Aso Rock Cabal Misled Buhari Into Fuel, Naira Crises Over Plot To Make Atiku President
Opinion

REVEALED : How Aso Rock Cabal Misled Buhari Into Fuel, Naira Crises Over Plot To Make Atiku President

by Vital News
February 5, 2023
0

By Alhassan Bello As Nigerians suffer on the crises caused by the fuel scarcity and naira swap,...

NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine, Heroin, Meth Consignments At Lagos Airport 

NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine, Heroin, Meth Consignments At Lagos Airport 

February 5, 2023
PSC Promotes Janga, Inuwa, Bode To DIGs

PSC Promotes Janga, Inuwa, Bode To DIGs

February 5, 2023
Pray, Work For Credible Elections, Methodist Archbishop, Others Urge Nigerians

Pray, Work For Credible Elections, Methodist Archbishop, Others Urge Nigerians

February 5, 2023
Terrorists Ambush, Kill Many Security Operatives In Kaduna

Buhari Condemns Killing of 41 Vigilantes By Terrorists In Katsina

February 5, 2023
Vital News

Vital News is an online newspaper with a mission to uphold professional journalism by reporting and publishing only facts and figures-based news reports across Nigeria and beyond.

Recent News

  • REVEALED : How Aso Rock Cabal Misled Buhari Into Fuel, Naira Crises Over Plot To Make Atiku President February 5, 2023
  • NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine, Heroin, Meth Consignments At Lagos Airport  February 5, 2023
  • PSC Promotes Janga, Inuwa, Bode To DIGs February 5, 2023

Categories

  • Agriculture/ Water/ Mineral
  • Aviation
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Football
  • Foreign
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Judiciary
  • Labour
  • National
  • News
  • Oil & Gas
  • Opinion
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Power
  • Religion
  • Security
  • Sports
  • Transport
  • Uncategorized

© 2022 Vital News - . All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Frontpage
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Crime
    • Judiciary
    • Security

© 2022 Vital News - Vital News by Vital News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In