Ajaokuta Steel needs N3b to hire Russian experts

TO complete the final phase of the Ajaokuta Steel firm, N3 billion will be needed to hire Russian experts to reactivate the 21 plants at the Iron and Steel Industry, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, said at the weekend.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on  Mines and Steel Development, said  the project may remain comatose if the N3 billion is not provided for in next year’s budget.

The senator lamented that some employees of the firm working in Mining Cadastral Office, will not get their monthly salaries from January as the World Bank which is responsible for the payment has already informed the Federal Government of its resolve to stop financing the staff beginning from January 2021.

The senator lamented that the money has not been included in the 2021 budgetary proposal for the ministry.

According to him, a presentation to that effect had been made to the Senate Committee on Appropriation during the submission of the 2021 budget estimates of the ministry last week.

Almakura said the remarks made by the committee, led by Senator Jibrin Barau (Kano North), for the provision of the funds in the final report on the 2021 budget, was not assuring enough.

He said: “Nigeria has spent a lot on the Ajaokuta project than to allow just N3 billion to make her decades old efforts, a mirage. Resuscitation of Ajaokuta is key to Industrial development of the country.