Ajaokuta steel company
The Nigerian Metallurgical Society, NMS, says the Ajaokuta steel company can employ more than 10,000 workers in Nigeria.
Prof. Suleiman Hassan, the National President of the society, stated
this in his welcoming address at the 35th Conference and Annual General
Meeting, tagged: “Ilorin 2019″, on Thursday at the University of Ilorin.
The theme of the Conference was entitled “The Role of Metallurgical Industries in Sustainable Development Goals”.
Mr Hassan observed that the steel industry, if revived, would also lead
to employment of additional 200,000 workers in the up-stream and
down-stream ancillary industries.
He explained that the Ajaokuta steel company requires some 10,000
personnel to function, adding that this will lead to a great effect of
boosting steel community that would bring rise to other businesses.
“Multiplier effect of the employment is created on the other sectors of
the economy which increases in geometric progression,” he said.
“Steel has played major role in industrial transformation of nations and
the relationship between steels and other sectors of the economy cannot
be over discussed.
“The products from metallurgical industries like steel serves as
material backbone of economic development because of its passive use in
all spheres of economic life such as creation of high productive
capacity in mechanised farming and the processing.
“Others are preservation and storage of food products, development of
building, roads, railways, harbours, power generation and
telecommunications, among others,” the NMS said.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to expedite action on its efforts at reviving the company.
Dr Asipita Abdulrahman, the Chairman, Conference Organising Committee,
noted that the theme of the conference was in line with the United
Nations General Assembly adopted 2030 agenda for sustainable
development.
Mr Abdulrahaman, who is also the Head, Department of Metallurgical
Material, Federal University of Technology, Minna, said these goals
includes eradication of extreme poverty and building resilience of the
poor and those in vulnerable situations.
He opined that that these goals can only be possible in Nigeria, if there is are strong and viable metallurgical industries.
The Chief Executive Officer, KAM Holding Ltd, Dr Kamoru Yusuf, said
manufacturers remain major players in the development of any emerging
nation and that the Iron and Steel sector is one of the bedrock of
Nigeria’s economy.
He said the sector is known for jobs creation, revenue generation and community development services.
Yusuf however lamented that smuggling of roofing sheets, corrugated
roofing sheets as well as importation of sub-standard aluminum roofing
sheets still persists through seaports.
He disclosed that Nigeria has lost about one million ton of Iron in the
last two years while about 10,000 jobs have been lost to the felonious
act due to the collapse of factories.
He therefore urged the federal government to declare Iron and Steel
products contraband items for importation because we are producing more
than enough in Nigeria and we have the potential to do better.
“Importation of sub-standard roofing sheets into Nigeria is not only
a great catastrophe for Nigerians but it is also affecting the expected
Internally Generated Revenue, IGR because about N1 billion is lost
weekly in that regard,” he said.
NAN