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Union Leader Calls For Unbundling Of Ajaokuta Steel Plant

The President of the Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr Itopa Bello has called for the unbundling of the Ajaokuta Steel Company for effective operations and viability. 
Bello said the steel company was an intergrated plant with 43 units with 40 of the units working effectively.

He pointed that even at its current stage, Ajaokuta, with the 40 units, has the ability to start and finish production without requiring inputs from outside.

The union president noted that TPE, the Russian firm which started the construction of the plant completed the 40 units.

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He also advised that the Russian firm should be allowed to complete the building of the plant since it had the knowledge of the production activities of the company.

The union leader further pleaded with the Federal government to make provisions for the other three units which have not been worked on as they are the primary and prominent units of the steel company.

Speaking on the current output of the steal company,  the union president pointed out that the company has the capacity to produce materials required for construction of railway lines as well as rods for telecommunication industry and other sectors of the economy.

The steel plant, according to him, has the capacity to create 15,000 direct jobs and 500,000 indirect jobs if government decided to focus its resources on it.

The House of Representatives has recently said it is opposed to plans by the Federal Government to privatize the plant.

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