Minister of Mines and Steel Developmen Dr Kayode Fayemi, has
reacted to the debate by members of the House of Representatives on the
Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
The lawmakers on
Thursday passed a vote of no
confidence on Fayemi and adopted a resolution to stop the
planned concessioning of the steel company.
Olayinka Oyebode, media adviser to Fayemi, in a statement said while his principal and the Minister of State, Hon Abubakar Bawa Bwari were convinced the lawmakers meant well as patriots concerned about an important national asset, they had grossly misunderstood the Ministers and other stakeholders working with the Ministry on this exercise.
He said: “In view
of this and the need to set the record straight for the sake of the general
public and the investing community, it is important to state as follows:
“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.
“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.
“It is also
important to state that no one has been hired.
“We find it
rather worrisome that the House of Representatives could devote an entire day
to an issue that has not even arisen.
“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.”
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