Don advises Buhari to complete Ajaokuta steel

Former President, Nigerian Metallurgical Society, Prof. Benjamin Adewuyi, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Company during his second tenure.

Prof. Adewuyi, who gave the advice on Wednesday in Abuja, said Buhari should ensure that the moribund steel company becomes operational in his second tenure to boost the nation’s economy.

According to him, the project when completed would lead to the local production of arms and ammunitions, cars among others that were now being imported.

“Ajaokuta has the capacity to produce cars, arms for the military among others and can also provide massive employment for the youth. We are only deceiving ourselves that we are manufacturing cars locally, without Ajaokuta steel functioning, we cannot manufacture our own cars.

” We have many brilliant youth among us that cannot carry out any innovation because we lack the materials they require, Mr. President should revisit Ajaokuta Steel Company and kick start the project,” he said.

He warned that Nigeria would continue to suffer the repercussions of neglecting Ajaokuta Steel, as the country continues to depend on imported steel made from scrap metals.

 “Nigeria will continue to suffer building collapse because most of the steel imported are made from scrap metals which cannot give the quality of steel required,” he added and called for the development of metallurgical entrepreneurship to cater for welders, blacksmiths and other micro scale metal refiners and micro credit facilities for the steel sector.

” We want the government to pay more attention to micro, small and medium scale enterprises especially in the area of equipment procurement. We also want maximum utilisation of professionals in all areas of the metallurgical sector; more emphasis on the development of science and technology in economic development and growth.

“The sector will also require government to create metallurgical entrepreneurship centres in all the geopolitical zones to fast track innovations and youth development and employment among others,” Prof. Adewuyi stated.