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HARRISON EDEH,ABUJA
In response to the members of the House of Representatives debate on the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, Kayode Fayemi, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development said the Federal Government did not contract any transactional adviser in the concessioning of the steel complex.
The minster, in a statment issued late Thursday said, “The attention of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, and the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari, has been drawn to the debate by members of the House of Representatives on the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, where the House adopted a resolution to stop the planned concessioning of the steel company.”
While the ministers are convinced that the members mean well as patriots concerned about an important national asset, it is also a fact that they have grossly misunderstood the ministers and other stakeholders working with the ministry on this exercise, the statement said.
The statement asserted further, that, “The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has not contracted any transactional adviser for the concessioning of Ajaokuta Steel Company, as wrongly asserted by the House.”
Fayemi said In the statement, that, “The process for the appointment of a Transactional Adviser is on, but cannot be completed until it gets the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
“The Ministry has not spent a dime from the N2,096,500.00 (Two billion, ninety six million, five hundred thousand naira ) appropriated by the House for the concessioning of Ajaokuta Steel Company (in the 2017 Appropriation Law).
“The mediation process that led to the amicable settlement of the legal encumbrances on Ajaokuta Steel Complex has not ended. There are still a few more steps to be taken as outlined in the terms of (out of court) settlement. And the Ministry is following up on this.”Fayemi further added.
It is also important to state that no one has been hired.
The Ministry remains committed to making Ajaokuta Steel Plant function effectively, convinced that steel remains the most important engineering material and backbone of industrialisation in any economy ,the statement insist.
