Ajaokuta Steel: Minister engages Russia’s TPE Consirtium on revival

…Plans visit to Moscow to secure required funding for revitalisation of plant

By Palma Ileye

Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu has engaged a consortium led by the original developers of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, ASCL, Tyamzhpromexport, TPE, to revive the Steel plant.

This was disclosed in a press release issued yesterday by Salamotu Jibaniya, Head: Press and Public Relations Department, Ministry of Steel Development.

Audu who met with the consortium comprising a team from Russia’s TPE/Rostec, Novostal, and Nigeria’s Proforce in his office in Abuja, urged them to put together a blueprint for the revival of the Steel Plant within the shortest possible time.

This, he said, was in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda”, which is keen on ensuring the production of Steel in the country and industrialising Nigeria through the Steel Sector before the end of his first term in office.

Following the meeting, he intends to visit Moscow on a formal invitation from TPE and other consortium partners to engage in further discussions to secure funding to the tune of about $2 billion, which was required for the revival of the entire Steel plant.

The Minister thanked the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Nigeria for facilitating the meeting with the TPE Consortium, which, if gotten right, will be a monumental success in driving Nigeria’s economy through industrialisation.

Mr. Sergei Egorov, General Director of TPE and leader of the Consortium commended the Minister for the steps he has taken so far in putting together the Consortium for the resuscitation of the steel plant, which has been moribund for years.

Egorov and his team of technical experts, who had earlier gone on a tour of the Steel Complex a few days earlier, noted that the plant was still in a state of possible resuscitation, indicating their interest in putting together a business case for the Government.

“We came with our technical experts and are quite impressed at the current state of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant. We would do a full technical audit of the plant and then take a final decision.

“We are happy to come on board the resuscitation of the Steel plant for the benefit of Nigerians,” Egorov said.

Mr. Valery Shaposhnikov, Deputy Head of the Russian Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, also commended the potential partnership, which he said would be carefully reviewed for the mutual benefit of both countries.

He expressed optimism in the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to revive Ajaokuta, adding that this was the first time since the Shehu Shagari Administration in 1979 that a Nigerian Government was showing great political will in getting the Steel Plant operational again.