Having monitore the slow process with regards to the Ajaokuta Presidential Project Implementation Team (APPIT) in the last one year, and the budgetary allocation to the company, NGO Network, has again written to the Federal Government of Nigeria to as a matter of necessity, move the steel industry away from the Ministry to be under the Presidency.
In a letter by NGO Network, a civil society Organisations working in collaboration with the CSO Coalition for the Revival of Ajaokuta Steel, it observed that over the last twelve months of the Presidential Implementation Team, not tangible has been achieved neither have Nigerians seen anything to rejoice about.
The Steel Company currently under the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel is non functional and lacks the necessary instrument to grow.
The letter dated July 27 and signed by the CSO Project Director, Mohammed Attah identified two major areas of concerns over the steel company which are all embedded in the manner and ways the steel company is administered.
He therefore advised the government through the minister of Science and Technology that for the steel company to meet the vision of the present administration and for effective administration of the stable, there’s urgent need to move ASLC to the Presidency.
The letter further made reference to the June 11, 2020 letter sent to the chairman, Ajaokuta Presidential Project Implementation Team (APPIT) which is yet to see the light one year after.
The statement read in parts ‘’Our organisation, NGO Network, having engaged with the process in the past is very much aware of the myriad of challenges hindering the full implementation of the APPIT, and have therefore proposed the following two critical approaches in finding quick solutions to the stagnation and bottlenecks.”
Title Presidential Executive Order No.5 of 2018, the letter drew the attention of the minister to the important role the Order can play in ensuring the Ajaokuta Steel Company is completed without further delay.
In particular, the letter stated that ‘’The directives of the Executive Order 5 under ‘’Commencement’’- i to vii are quite clear and we believe the intention of the FGN under this administration is to achieve the nation’s development goals and industrialisation, particularly in Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy, STISA 2024 to 2030.’’
The letter further reminded the government about the promise of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari which is to make Nigeria economically viable through industrial revolution.
“It is therefore inevitable and a strong belief that the revival of ASCL to full capacity utilisation is the first and major step in that direction,” the group said.
