The Secretary General of African Iron and Steel Development, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has accused erstwhile Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy in the President GoodLuck Jonathan administration, Dr. Okonjo Iweala of conniving with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to write a phoney audit report on the Ajaokuta Steel Company.
He said the report, which adjudged the company as lacking in prospects was to serve the interest of powerful nations, especially the West, who markets their iron and Steel in Nigeria and other African countries.
Speaking with DAILY POST in Abuja on Tuesday, the Scribe lamented that it was the fourth time international finance organisations would capitalize on corrupt tendencies of Nigeria government officials, who were always ready to compromise and write-off Ajaokuta Iron and Steel Company, despite its huge prospects of being Nigeria’s biggest revenue earnings and employer of labour.
“There was a lot of sabotage going on and I have four different report which were initiated by World Bank against Ajaokuta Steel Company”, Sanusi said.
He added: “another group, which has links with World Bank and IMF were invited from Britain by Bureau of Public Enterprises; they came and condemned Ajaokuta, and when we the stakeholders pointed out their mistakes, they left and never came back to Nigeria up till date”.
Dr. Sanusi also recalled that he faulted the power point presentation of another group, which were brought in by the former Minister of Finance, Dr Okonjo Iweala known as “Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facilities”.
“There is another one the former Minister of Finance, Dr. Okonjo Iweala brought in called Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facilities and after two weeks tour of our steel Facilities, they assembled some officials of the National Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance and Solid minerals and other stakeholders; before you knew it, they reported that their head team had travelled back to Canada”, he added.
Sanusi who admitted that the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi was in touch with the Iron and Steel Association, commended President Buhari administration for his concerted effort at revamping the Ajaokuta Iron and Steel steel.
He advised Buhari to personally pay a visit to the steel industry for what he called a first hand information, noting that it would help his decision rather than waiting to be briefed.
“It is not enough that Mr President should be briefed by anybody. I advise him to pay a visit personally with some of his cabinet members so that when he is taking a decision, it is based on facts rather than waiting to be briefed”, Sanusi maintained.
Culled from dailypost.
Enuf of all dis abeg!
ReplyDeleteArrest and lock away
Am tired of all dis
Maybe She adviced! Conniving is unpatriotic. I don't want to believe she will stoop that low sha
DeleteIf ur hands are clean, why d fear? Abeg chill
ReplyDeleteJust Negodu....Our so called leaders. Only God can Fix Nigeria
ReplyDeletePolitics in Nigeria sha... Hmmmm
ReplyDeleteAjaokuta plant that we all know is a white elephant project failed from inception. why called GEJ into this. Ajaokuta has been there for close to 40 yrs and nothing has come out of it. Pls Dr Samusi chop na ur time but keep GEJ out of all this propaganda. make it with with ur northern brother and take the credit rather calling names.
ReplyDeletePKE
Thank you for this. I'm from an iron and steel background and Ajaokuta is a total failure. It was a politically motivated project. Firstly, Russians built it, so the wrong technology was chosen. Can you imagine the nightmare involved in translating Russian technical docs and manuals to English? Putting aside Russian cut and paste technology, the project took so long to build that, by the time it was finished, most if the technology was already obsolete. The communist party fell in Russia and all of the archaic state owned Russian industries were sold to private owners and thus transformed into modern entities with western/international technologies. Therefore, there was no source for spare parts Ajaokuta. Finally, most of the valuable stock and equipment were auctioned off by Abacha's govt in the 90s. Our very good family friend and neighbour (a retired military officer turned government contractor) was involved in the project and was always travelling to Ajaokuta. Needless to say that he made a financial killing in that project.
DeleteBy the 2000s, that company was just guzzling money (which was obviously going into private pockets) with no output. Nada! It had been a drain for decades and the only option was to sell it.
This Mohammed Sanusi us an evil man.
This sanusi of a mallam,are you that clean? All you do is to call names and bring ppl down!
DeleteAnon 11:11 thank you, it's even deeper than what you wrote. They should just turn the plant in a tourist centre, that way it would at least bring in small revenue, since they can't even produce a teaspoon full of steel.
DeleteAjaokuta steel is a pictorial definition of white elephant project.
I don't know about Ngozi, IMF and co, but I won't put anything pass these onyinbo people.
Wahali dey for this country o.
ReplyDeleteNo incorrigible person up there again, is that what they're tryna tell us.
Well, waiting for Okonjo 's response.
#WhiteDiamondOut
Do this Buhari team think Nigerians are stupid? The same group they're pointing accusing fingers at are the same they're seeking help from,eg IMF. I remember passing through the steel complex as a passenger traveling from port harcourt to Abuja with Eagle lines in the late 1990s and that complex was not functioning, all of a sudden it is Iweala/Gej that caused it. Well there's hope since it's just a written document that is required to state that the company is viable so as to attract patronage then let the new man do so moreover a problem identified is a problem half solved shekena.
ReplyDeleteOkay
ReplyDeleteEnd time indictment
ReplyDeleteOK o
ReplyDeleteAPC WITH ACCUSATIONS. Tufia
ReplyDeleteNawa o
ReplyDeleteIdonbilivit...
ReplyDeleteStella if you've been to ajakuta steel and you love nigeria you will cry for our nation. But truth be told before that company can function serious prayers must be made, that place is jinxed.
ReplyDelete...and you are speaking out now. Shame on you.
ReplyDelete#leaveOkonjoalone
Ndiawusa
...and you are speaking out now. Shame on you.
ReplyDelete#leaveOkonjoalone
Ndiawusa
End time powerful giveaway conniving
ReplyDeleteBloody, sly West. Nigeria has way too many riches deposited by God butour leaders are way too lazy and greedy to do the work. Just imagine the United states having even half of what we have buried in the ground them for finally do the world anyhow.
ReplyDeleteThe long standing jamb question has always been WHY THE HELL DO WE ALWAYS VALUE THE OPINION OF STUPID WHITE MEN.
Politics in Nigeria.. Chai!
ReplyDeleteAPC.....totally useless set of incorrigible thieves
ReplyDelete37th comment, 2016
My parents live in Ajaokuta and i grew up there. You will indeed cry when you see how it has been allowed to waste. It is a project that will change Nigeria if attention is paid to it. Is it the steel plant or the many government quarters left wasted and unoccupied. It will create job employment it it is completed and generate power. in fact, it has one of the most stable electricity. Most of us who grew up there never knew what a generator was until we started going out to school.
ReplyDeleteit use to be well organized, had a Russian cinema, clinic, market and a German camp. you will almost forget you are in Nigeria. I week whenever i go to visit my parents. It has become like a ghost town. Many young people left because nothing is happening. Ajaokuta Steel needs to be revived.
They should stop politics and act right. If govt can reconstruct, revamp and that Ajaokuta and Aladja steel coys, then Nigeria will really gain a lot of benefit like Larger employment opportunities, imports, GDP growth, industrialisation. Steel and iron products will become cheaper than it is now. Industries are comprised of 80% iron and steel materials; production machines, generator engines and spare parts, rods for building and construction, cars etc are all made of metals.
ReplyDeleteBut who will bell the cat?
From history, The Americans and Britons played pranks on Nigeria to make dem believe that the iron ore in Nigeria is sub standard. When Shagari went further to involve the russians and they tested the iron ore to be one of the best in the world, our british friends played politics with Shagari and he fell. They told him the west would be more powerful than the north and advised him to take the production to Kaduna and make Ajakuta just a place to source for raw material. He fell for it and the Russians got angry and left. Nearness to source of material is the key to efficient production we all know that. So my dear Mallam Sanusi, Ngozi was not in IMF in the 80s. The conspiracy has been there for long. Some of us learnt it in school. Till Nigerians start seeing dis Nation as one and stop tribalism nothing can go well. That is the weapon dis whites have on us. Tribalism will get us no where. One Nigeria... Long Live Naija.
ReplyDelete