According to Minister of Defense Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government plans to revive and reposition Ajaokuta Steel Company to manufacture military weapons to help in the nation’s battle against insecurity.
When the minister hosted Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, the minister of steel development, and Sumaila Abdul Akaba, the managing director of Ajaokuta Steel Company, at his Abuja office, he revealed this.
According to Badaru, Ajaokuta Steel Company was well-known for producing military hardware locally, and he claimed that the Ministry of Steel Development needed to be partnered with since steel makes up 90% of the materials needed to produce military gear.
He said that bolstering the company’s ability to manufacture military weapons will help the country combat insurgency and other associated crimes rather than depending on imports.
“We cannot rely on other countries for military hardware because of the current crisis in our country, which makes local production of military hardware essential,” he stated.
The minister has ordered the creation of a Technical Committee to decide what needs to be produced, what raw materials to utilize, how much it would cost to revive the manufacturing facility, and where finance can be obtained in order to really carry out the company’s rejuvenation.
As members of the Technical Committee, he asked the Permanent Secretary, the Director-General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, DICON, and the Managing-Director of the Ajaokuta Steel Company to work hard and aim high in order to provide a report outlining the next course of action in two weeks.
The revival of Ajaokuta Steel, according to Minister of Steel Development Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, will revolutionize both the Nigerian industrial sector and the country’s economy overall.
He mentioned that manufacturing has paused because of a lack of funding. “However, I think that within the first four years of the current Bola Tinubu administration, Ajaokuta Steel will be revived and work will resume if initiatives are put in place,” he continued.
