Funding can make Ajaokuta steel work again Expert

Category: Business Published on Monday, 21 January 2013 06:00

Chairman/ Chief Executive of Reprom Nigeria Ltd, Mr Attah Achimugu, has said with adequate funding, the Ajaokuta steel plant can function optimally like any steel plant in the world.

Briefing Journalists in lokoja at the weekend, Attah said the plant was not obsolete as has been suggested in some quarters, arguing that it was technically healthy to handle steel production. He said a steel plant in Ukraine that is over 105 years old is still working till date with minimal maintenance.

Attah whose company is working out a joint venture agreement with the Ajaokuta steel company said when the venture starts off, they will start with 10, 000 tones production capacity and move to more than 400, 000 tones of finished products.

According to him, the strength of a steel company is in the workforce which abound in Ajaokuta saying his company would re- engage over 12, 000 Nigerian engineers that were laid off due to unhealthy policies against the steel company.

He said what Ajaokuta steel required was digitization which could be completed in 10 months.

Attah said all parameters of an integrated steel plant was complete at Ajaokuta steel plant, saying that the issue of obsolence was out of the question.