The development of steel development was legendary, and for many decades the desire of the country to harness the area deserve more political will and efforts.
Many administrations and alot of Ministers and managers of the industry had contributed and made great efforts towards reviving the steel industry debuted in the early 80’s.
The moribund industry established to provide job opportunities and galvanise steel development in the country, had not seen the light of the day, but desiring diversification from well thought out administration.
With steel adventure and development, no doubt the rolling mills established to complement the finished products of the steel industry scattered around Katsina, Jos, Aladja , Itakpe and Enugu among others will also be given live in the long run.
With kudos and glowing tributes to the heroes past that conceive the steel industry, capable of triggering both economic, technological and industrial hub in Nigeria had some hitches that spanned over four decades.
Nonetheless, all hope was not lost , as the concept and consternation of the new administration and the appointment of one of the young indigene of Kogi state, with age long wholly private driven ideas, will combine these two components to return the steel company back to it’s lost glory.
It is already in the pipeline, government intentions to attract both local and foreign investors to revive the moribund government establishment, with concerted efforts and patriotic zeal , along with administrative wisdom of the new Minister, Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, the steel concept will bounce back few years from now.
Aside reviving the place and Nigeria taking it’s place in the comity of steel production, it will provide thousands of job opportunities to both ordinary, middle and top class Nigerians, that will reduce to the barest minimum the scourge of out of job occasioned by economic recession and natural phenomenon of COVID among many others.
With the assumption of office of the new Minister, machinery will be put in place to determine both immediate and long term measures geared towards rejuvenation and exploitation of concentrated large steel materials in kogi and across the country .
Since the private sector is the engine room of any thriving economy, and coming from that sector, it behoves on all stakeholders to create an enabling environment towards ameliorating the continuous indecisions on the part of government.
All hands must be on deck to continue to support the new leadership at the steel Ministry detached of bureaucracy and other red tapism, that had been the bane of the survival of steel industry in Nigeria.
Yusuf Is A Public Affairs Analyst, Writes from Abuja on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
