By our Reporter
President Muhammadu Buhari says the Ajaokuta steel complex will generate $1.6 billion a year and provide some 500,000 jobs for Nigerian youth.
The president made the disclosure at Ohinoyi of Ebira palace, Okene,on Thursday during one-day state visit in Kogi, to inaugurate legacy projects executed by Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration.
President expressed his administration’s determination to position Kogi as an industrial hub, as well as a strong mineral energy base.
The president explained how the federal government managed to resolve all the legal entanglements that had bogged down the progress of the Ajaokuta steel complex.
According to him, the project will benefit the people of the state immensely.
“No other project holds as much the key to unlocking this vast potential as the Ajaokuta steel complex, which we inherited as a dying complex that became strangled under a tangle of local and international trade disputes.
“I am pleased to report that as we begin to complete the charge, we can genuinely say that our administration has rescued Ajaokuta from all legal disabilities.
”It is now ready to be licensed to a private investor with the right profiles to put it to work for Nigeria in general and Kogi in particular.
“The process has cost this federal government over $400 million, but I consider it money well spent as we get closer to achieving our goal of transforming Kogi State into Nigeria’s steel powerhouse,” he said.
Mr Buhari added: “The benefits of getting the Ajaokuta Steel Complex back up and running are numerous. It would provide more than 500,000 estimated jobs and more than $1.6 billion in annual revenue to the Nigerian economy.
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“Nigerians can rest assured that I remain committed to bringing this process to a logical conclusion before the end of my term.”
The president said that Kogi would also benefit in a number of ways when the 614 km (384 mi) AKK pipeline running through the state began operations in 2023.
He also stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had kept its promises to Nigerians at all levels.
He said that Governor Yahaya Bello had performed well in his two terms as governor of the state.
“We are an administration that prides itself on delivering on our election promises to the Nigerian people, both at the national and sub-national levels.
“That’s why I’m glad we have an impressive array of legacy projects through your own state government as proof of our Kogi stewardship.
“APC Management has indelible marks on Kogi,” he said.
The president cited some of the projects executed by the federal government in the state to include; the Itakpe to Okene bypass, the concrete road from Obajana to Kabba and the rail service from Itakpe to Warri, among others.
The Obajana – Kabba Concrete Road was built by Dangote Industries Limited under ‘tax initiated roads’ (Executive Order 7).
“I am very pleased to be here today to commission various projects carried out by the administration of His Excellency Governor Yahaya Bello,” he said.
He praised the governor for rising to the occasion in many sectors, especially security.
“We are proud of him and I encourage the people of Kogi State to continue supporting him and his team as they work hard to ensure peace, security and development in the state.”
Projects inaugurated by the president included the Reference Hospital Okene, featuring Nigeria’s first hyperbaric treatment chamber and attached ambulance fleet and the new Ohinoyi Palace in Okene.
Others were the Ganaja Junction flyover and the interchange at Lokoja; GYB Model Science Secondary School, Adankolo, Lokoja; Muhammadu Buhari Square (Civic Center) in Lokoja; and a fleet of high-tech security vehicles to combat crime and crime.
Earlier, in his welcoming address, Governor Bello thanked the president for showing leadership and for the various programs and interventions that have had a positive impact on the state and its people.
These, the governor said, included the Itakpe – Warri Railway Line which, he noted, had provided relief to travelers and business owners in the state.
He informed the president that the inaugurated projects responded to his service commitment.
He indicated that since he was sworn in, on January 27, 2016, his administration set up a multi-sector commission that toured the corners of the state, identifying the needs of the people.
“This document has been our guide,” he said.
While acknowledging president Buhari’s commitment to reviving the Ajaokuta steel complex, the governor thanked the president for his relentless interest in the project.
Bello also stated that his administration had a cordial relationship with the traditional institution of the state, stating that the new Ohinoyi Palace commissioned by Mr. Buhari was a testament to this.
Earlier, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Ibrahim Ado, represented by the Ohi of Okengwe, Mohammed Anage, on behalf of the traditional rulers of the Central Senatorial Zone of the State, thanked Mr. Buhari for his support of the Bello administration.
He also praised the president for being the first sitting president of Nigeria to come to Kogi on a working visit.
