The Federal government has been advised to respect the majority opinion of Nigerians by halting any further transaction on the revitalisation of Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill, which is aimed at transferring its ownership to foreigners.
Such a transfer through the back-door is said to be contrary to the national interest of protecting the nation’s heritage.
A group, the Social Integrity Network (SINET), at the close of an emergency meeting held in Kaduna, yesterday, expressed worries over the poor governance, and maintenance of the nation’s heritage and infrastructure adopted by the Federal Government through its relevant agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Steel Development and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, among agencies of the government.
The group lamented that despite the presence of highly intellectual personalities “it is unfortunate that our leaders still allow foreigners to fool the entire nation with unrealistic proposals and business plans”.
In a statement by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Issah, SINET recalled that the National Assembly Joint Committee on Steel Development recently passed a resolution to probe the $496 million paid by the Federal Government to an Indian firm, which failed to revitalise the Itakpe Iron Ore Company after three years.
The group noted that preference should be given to national companies, who could run such plants, ensure employment generation, reduce imports, and do away with siphoning out much-needed forex and mineral resources.
Issah added that “the Global Infrastructure Holding Ltd., GIHL took over the National Iron Ore Mining Company, NIOMCO, Itakpe, Kogi State in 2016 and got its agreement terminated in 2019 due to nonperformance.
“GIHL dragged the Federal Government to court for breach of contract and it was awarded damages to the tune of $496million which had been paid”.
According to him, “We are outrightly against the way the federal government is deliberately and ignorantly selling out its national heritage without recourse to the yearnings and agitation of Nigerians especially at this crucial period when the nation is battling with economic stability among other challenges.
“Almost five decades of lost opportunity towards strengthening large scale Steel Production in Nigeria, failed attempts without a proper road map. It is also on record that Russians and Ukrainians supplied already obsolete technology then in 1970s
“Another blunder was committed by handing over Ajaokuta, Itakpe mines with all the infrastructure and Delta Steel plants to GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDING LTD GHIL, India. They took over the plant and siphoned out all the resources from country and eventually country did not get any benefit.
“GIHL was never serious in running the plants and mines at Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, Delta Steel Company, and Itakpe. Later, GHIL sold its stakes in Delta Steel Company to Stallion Group under a SPV to Premium Steel & Mines Limited. This acquisition was also a marvel of financial engineering by PSML to hide black money generated and siphon out of country through their other businesses”.
Comrade Issah further stressed that, “When stallion did not get support from the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, they had to shutdown the PSML Warri business around 2020. Sadly, for the third time, the Federal Government is trying to bring in Indian company to loot the resources from Ajaokuta, Delta steel plants, and Itakpe mines.
“Interestingly, the immediate past government had paid the sum of $496 million to GIHL as compensation even despite massive public outrage, wherein, these investors are merely looking at Itakpe mines to cater to their offshore companies at much cheaper rate of iron ore supplies”.
While confirming that Jindal-India has allegedly been asked to work out takeover proposal back-door without public notice knowing well that several injunctions have been in different Courts of Law, SINET warned the federal government “to understand that Ajaokuta and Delta Steel Company are very old and obsolete technologies and any company claiming to run and earn profit is just misleading the nation with nefarious intentions”.
“We hereby advise FG and it’s concerned Ministries to carefully dig deep into their Detailed Project Report, Elaborated Business Plan, Capital Outlay, and Cash Flow Projections by involving independent agencies and champions of business here in Nigeria. We are quite sure that the so-called 5B investment from Jindal is a faux pass and outrightly exaggerated number that will put Nigeria, her assets, resources, and general public in total mess again”, SINET added.
