Unravelling the endless construction of Ajaokuta steel industry
Since 1979 when the Ajaokuta Steel Industry project was started by the Alh Shehu Shagari administration, having signed the contract with a Russian firm in 1976, one would have expected the vision and mission of the project to have been long accomplished by now.
With initial cost put at $1bn, which has reverally reviewed over the years to well over N49bn.
But that was not to be, for reasons best known to our leaders. The project when completed is expected to provide over 40,000 direct jobs and countless indirect ones.
The core mandate for conceiving the project by the then Shagari Government was to supply materials for infrastructural development and eventual industrialisation of the country.
Established on 24,000 hectares of land in Kogi State, the rolling mill and integrated iron and steel plant, was equally targeted at earning foreign exchange for Nigeria.
This is a project that was said to be 84 percent completed in 1983 and 98 percent completed in 1994,but regrettably 30 years down the line the project remains uncompleted.
What could be the reasons adduced for this monumental failure on the part of the successive administrations. A lack of funds was one of the reasons put forward by Nigerian governments for failing to deliver this all-important project, but the country can easily buy SUVs at N160m each for over 800 members of the National Assembly, without recourse to the impulse of Nigerians.
The country can seamlessly pay its senators higher than their counterparts across the globe, but to finish a project that can turnaround the fortune of its citizens, there is no fund.
How do we situate this kind of attitude or character? Does this in any way suggest patriotism or statesmanship? We leave the answer for the people. The superficial reason for non-completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Industry project is that of lack of political will, corruption and possibly hidden agenda, driven by parochial ideology on the part of leaders of this great country.
We can as well not rule out neocolonialism, suggesting that technology cannot be transferred. The reason is simple. If I give you my heart, what will I use to breathe? This simply means that I cannot allow you to suffocate me to death in the name of doing good. Russia and other industrialised countries thrive on science and technology, so would they now transfer their mainstay to us for a pittance?
Technology is hardly transferable, you can only develop your own or steal it from anywhere. It is better and safer to develop a homegrown technology that can easily be serviced and managed locally. And the earlier we wake up, put our thinking caps right, the better for us.
The way forward is to complete the age-long Ajaokuta Steel Industry project, no matter what it takes. The reason is that the vision of the founding fathers that conceived the lofty idea of the Ajaokuta Steel Industry remains germane, several years after their regime.
Also, in line with the ‘renewed hope agenda’ of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the finances of the protracted Ajaokuta Steel Industry project should be probed. Let the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) thoroughly look into this matter, to ascertain who took what as regards to the project.
If we cannot punish the looters, at least we can name and shame them. There is no reason why Nigeria should remain a toddler in the 21st century, having gotten her independence in 1960.
There is nothing stopping us from starting the process of development and industrialisation now. Nigeria can still pursue, overtake and recover. A journey of a million miles starts with a step.
