Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badal Abubakar, has said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will reinvigorate and redeploy the Ajaokuta Steel Company to produce military equipment to support the fight against insecurity in the country.
The minister disclosed this while receiving the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaib Abubakar Audu, and the Managing Director of Ajaokuta Steel Company, Mr. Sumaira Abdul Aqaba at his office in Abuja.
Mr Badal said Ajaokuta Steel Company is known for the local production of military hardware and there is a need to partner with the Ministry of Steel Development as 90 per cent of the materials required for the production of military hardware is made up of steel. said.
He said that stepping up production of military equipment, rather than relying on foreign products, would strengthen the country’s fight against insurgency and other related crimes.
“Local production of military hardware is extremely important because with the current crisis in this country, we cannot rely on other countries for military hardware,” he said.
In order to realize the revitalization of the company, the Minister directed the establishment of a technical committee to determine what to produce, the raw materials to be used, and the cost and funding sources for the revitalization of the production site.
As a member of the technical committee, he worked energetically and ambitiously with the Permanent Secretary and Executive Director of the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria, DICON, and the Managing Director of Ajaokuta Steel Company, and submitted a report on the future direction to the two committees. I requested that it be summarized. A few weeks’ time.
The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaib Abubakar Audu, said the revival of Ajaokuta Steel would be a game-changer for Nigeria’s industrial sector and the economy at large.
He noted that production had stalled due to a lack of funding. “However, I believe that if initiatives are implemented, Ajaokuta Steel will be revived and work will resume within the first four years of the current Bola Tinubu administration,” he added.
Source: dailypost.ng