News
Military Hardware Production will commence shortly in Ajaokuta, says Audu
The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, on Monday, disclosed that the production of military hardware in Ajaokuta Steel Mill will soon start
Speaking on Monday on ChannelsbTelevivion the minister said he has been collaborating with his counterparts in the Ministries of Defence and Works to perfect plans for the steel plant which has been lying fallow for many years to start the production of iron rods and military hardware.
“In addition to restarting light steel mill, we want to produce military hardware in Ajaokuta Steel,” Audu said on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria.
“I have been working very closely with Minister of Defence Alhaji Badaru and Minister of Works Senator Umahi to work hand in hand to produce iron rod in Ajaokuta and to produce military hardware capabilities in Ajaokuta.
“Whether it is helmets, whether it is bullets, whether it is vests, whether it is pads for tanks of all shapes and all of those things or rifles ammunitions, we will be able to have the capacity to be able to do that.”
The Ajaokuta Steel Mill, which is a massive project built over 40 years ago, has been mismanaged by successive governments and has been unable to fully take off as expected.
However, the minister said that the current administration is committed to revitalising the light steel mill of the steel complex to be able to produce iron rods.
According to him, it will cost between two to five billion dollars to revamp the entire complex based on the estimate by experts, with the light steel mill section costing about N35 billion.
The minister also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu gave him approval to raise money locally to revive the light steel mill section of the steel plant.
He stated that the N35 billion investments on the steel plant will help it produce 50,000 tons of iron rods with the capacity to go up to 400,000 tons.
Audu identified lack of political will as one of the major reasons why the Ajaokuta Steel Mill has not functioned for over 40 years.
“I think part of the issue is that there has been no political will. This is the first time in our 63-year history since independence that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has created a Steel Ministry.
According to him Ajaokuta Steem complex is the pivot upon which industrial revolution will revolve
“There were some concessions done in the past where concessionaires brought in didn’t have the skills required to be able to carry out the job, so those were some of the challenges,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that the last concession that was done with Global Steel was terminated, with the Nigerian government having to pay about $496 million for terminating the concession agreement with the Indian company.
Former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Professor Tom Adaba, has passed away at the age of 84.
According to reports, he died peacefully on Saturday in Abuja.
Chief Adinoyi Joe Anivasa, Secretary of the Egbira Elders Forum, confirmed the news, stating, “I feel sad to inform you that our elder and leader, Prof. Tom A. Adaba, has answered the call of nature this morning. Further details about his burial arrangements will be communicated later.”
Born on July 2, 1941, Prof. Adaba made significant contributions to Nigeria’s broadcasting industry. Between 1988 and 1992, he became the first Nigerian to serve as President of the African Council for Communication Education.
Despite calls for suspension from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigeria Police Force, the Osun State local government election proceeded as scheduled on Saturday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted in Ede North Local Government Area, describing the process as peaceful and urging residents to exercise their franchise.
The AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, cited a Court of Appeal ruling allegedly reinstating sacked local government chairmen, while the police warned of potential security threats.
However, the Osun State government insisted on holding the election, emphasizing its commitment to obeying a court directive. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the polls.
Voting took place under tight security, with minimal commercial activity observed in Osogbo, the state capital.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa, has indicated that Firmer President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence at the public presentation of former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida’s autobiography, The Journey of Service, held in Abuja on Thursday was not surprising.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Saturday, Vatsa suggested that Buhari’s no-show was a result of unresolved bitterness over the 1985 coup, in which Babangida overthrew him and subsequently detained him.
According to Vatsa, Buhari may still harbor resentment, especially over being denied the chance to bid his late mother farewell while in detention.
“It Would Have Been the 9th Wonder of the World If Buhari Had Attended”
Vatsa claimed that Buhari’s absence was expected, given the deep-seated history between the two former leaders.
“The memory of the ‘mother of all betrayals’ has not left him. It would have been the ninth wonder of the world if Buhari had attended that book launch,” he said.
The APC chieftain also linked Buhari’s perceived neglect of Niger State during his eight-year presidency to his history with Babangida.
“The whole world knows that Niger State was made a scapegoat by Buhari because of IBB. For eight years, he did not pay any serious official visit to the state, and not a single federal project was executed here. The Baro Port project was abandoned, and federal roads across the state were left in disrepair,” Vatsa alleged.
He claimed that despite the overwhelming votes Buhari received from Niger State in 2015 and 2019, the state was sidelined due to the personal history between the former presidents.
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Niger State paid for the sin of one man,” he lamented.
When asked for his opinion on the contents of IBB’s autobiography, Vatsa said he would reserve his comments until he has read and digested the book fully.
“There are certain things I expected to see in the book. Once I am done reading, I will invite you all for my comments,” he stated.
The book launch attracted several high-profile attendees, including President Bola Tinubu, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Yakubu Gowon, as well as former military head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Other dignitaries included former Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, and ex-vice presidents Atiku Abubakar, Yemi Osinbajo, and Namadi Sambo, alongside traditional rulers and state governors.
Buhari’s absence, however, remained a major talking point, reinforcing speculations that the 1985 coup remains a sore point in Nigeria’s political history.
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