OpeOluwani Akintayo
Lagos — The Federal Government has said completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill will no longer be possible in 2022.
Olamilekan Adegbite, Minister of Mines and Steel Development disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
The minister blamed the delay on the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Where we are today, we may not be able to get Ajaokuta to work but I pray that we can start something permanent,” he said.
He, however, hinted that the Federal Government would see to resumption and eventual completion of the steel facility beyond the Buhari regime.
The minister revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari, after negotiations with Russia before the pandemic, approved the disbursement of $2m for the conduct of a technical audit of the mill as demanded by the Soviet nation before the restart of its implementation.
Adegbite further explained that the Federal Government moved to continue the earlier negotiations with Russia, but progress was again stalled due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“I told you, Ajaokuta, by the grace of God, we will start an irreversible process. The problem with Ajaokuta is actually what we call force majeure. Nobody thought of the Covid because the plan was to deliver Ajaokuta this year 2022.
“And I’ve said it before when we came back from Russia. Yes, I went to the public and said, look, we will deliver Ajaokuta before the end of this tenure. And I pray that I’ll have a chance to go back and apologise and explain what happened to the people before I leave office.
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