The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite has said the ongoing efforts by the Buhari administration will ensure an irreversible stage on the revival of Ajaokuta, even when they leave office. To this, he is confident the process put in place so far will guarantee a sustainable administration of the Steel Plant long after the present government.
Speaking on Friday in his office in Abuja when he received members of the National Planning Committee, NPC for the National Conference on Ajaokuta Steel Project and President Muhammadu Buhari Industrialization Project, the Minister assured and commended the team for supporting the government on the Herculean task of reviving Ajaokuta with so many challenges confronting it.
Further, he said the present administration, under the leadership of President Buhari is committed to ensuring Ajaokuta is back to life and in full operations. Any form of advocacy or opinion, he advised should be patriotic and geared towards supporting the ongoing efforts.
He assured the delegation that the present administration will propel Ajaojuta Steel Project to an irreversible position that successive administration can only strengthen. President Buhari, he informed his guests, is fully committed to reviving the Steel Plant and had approved the needed fund for the first technical audit and Business Proposal to be conducted by the Russian Experts.
He however lamented the occurrence and menace of COVID-19 force majure that hindered the initial promise to actualize the Ajaokuta Agenda under the first two years of the administration. “The biggest and most devastating problem is the Pandemic” the Minister said, noting that but for the incident of the Corona Virus that started over a year ago, the Russian Experts expected to conduct the Technical Audit on both Ajaokuta Steel and Itakpe Iron Ore were ready long time ago.
