Tejiri Ebikeme/Francis Sadhere
Worried by the rust that the Delta Steel Company (DSC), Ovwian-Aladja, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State has become, former PDP Governorship aspirant in the state, Mr. Sunny Onuesoke has implored the Federal Government to take drastic steps to revive the company.
Speaking to National Reformer Newspaper in an exclusive Interview in his office, Mr. Onuesoke stated that the steel sector revival was panacea to unemployment crisis in the country, particularly in the Niger Delta region.
He said; “If I see the president one on one, I will tell him that, if he wants Nigeria to progress, the first thing he should do is to stop capital flight importation and kick-off DSC. If he really wants to industrialize Nigeria he has to fix DSC first and this should be number one priority in his policies.”
While disclosing that it would cost about 21.2 billion naira to bring DSC back to life, he urged the Federal Government to start injecting the sum 5 Billion naira into the Company monthly towards its restoration.
He said the revival of the company should be carried out in phases, with government making a monthly allocation of not less than 5 billion naira for this purpose.
He said; “I know how it was when it was working just few years back. It was consuming about five hundred thousand workers which have a multiplying effect on other people. Some people were supplying scraps, chemicals, gas, even food vendors were8 benefiting from it then. DSC is the industrial base of Nigeria economically. I am using this opportunity to appeal to the federal government to come and restore that glory of DSC back.”
He questioned the rationale behind the payment of 3.5 billion naira to ghost workers in Ajaekuta while DSC is wasting away, calling on the Federal Government to repeal the contract it had with the Indian company it sold it to claiming that the Indian Company has not been able to meet up with its contractual agreement.
“What I am saying right now is that, if the Federal Government knows that they have entered into any kind of agreement with any Indian company who has bought DSC, then there is an aberration by the privatization bureau. What I am saying is that if the Indians could not meet up with their contractual agreement then they should repeal that contract. The federal government should take it over and do the needful. We are talking of 21 billion naira here and you are paying close to 3.5 billion naira to ghost workers in Ajaekuta Steel Company that has not produced a single biro but DSC that has been producing for about 31 years has been abandoned,” he said.
He added that if the if DSC is restored to its former glory, the multiplying effect on Nigerian economy will be enormous, noting that modern civil engineering today use a lot of steel for construction of houses.
“The major thing in construction engineering is steel. Modern civil engineering houses you see today are constructed with steel. There is going to be a reduction of capital flight for the importation of rods because the scraps in Nigeria are enough to produce what we wanted. If they kick off today it is going to consume up to 5 thousand workers. If 5 thousand people are employed, it is going to have a spilling effect on the state, even to Abuja. The banks will be coming and Delta State will be booming economically,” he stressed.
He blamed the Federal Government and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) for the neglect of DSC, saying that they have done nothing to revive the dying company.
“I am blaming the Federal Government and the Asset Management Committee of Nigeria (AMCON) for the neglect of DSC. There is no political undertone for this neglect. It is just pure negligence by the Federal Government and AMCON. It is all about bureaucratic negligence. I thought when AMCON came here they were going to inject some funds into DSC. But alas, they did nothing to restore the steel company,” said Onuesoke.
While commending the Late Senator Pius Ewherido, for his doggedness towards the fight for the restoration of the DSC before his death, Onuesoke said the present senator representing Delta Central, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo has picked the fight from where the late senator stopped and is doing his best to ensure that DSC returns to its former glory.
He said; “I am close to DSC and they used to use some of my materials. What I am saying is the current senator, like senator Ewherido and Ifeayi Okowa, is very vigorous on how to restore DSC. I still remember when they visited DSC and Okowa told them why they needed to revive the company. The late Ewherido fought tooth and nail and when the new senator came, he took over from where he stopped. He must not shout out to the public like I am doing. If I am shouting to the public, Aguariavwodo is shouting underground.”
Onuesoke condemned the manner in which some Nigerians were heaping blames on the President every time there is a problem in the country, adding that the Ministers should be blamed any time there is a problem in a particular ministry.
He said; “A lot of complicated issues surround the privatization of DSC. We have the Minister for Steel and Mines. Why are we calling on Mr. President? Must the president do everything? Every time we have problem, we pass the bulk to him just like some people were saying that he should take up arms and go to Chibok and fight. You have the ministry of steel and mine for crying out loud. Is it not the ministry that is paying Ajeakuta? So why are you calling the President? Is it the president that is paying Ajaekota workers? When the minister of steel is asked to bring his budget for the year he knows how to infuse the salaries of Ajaekuta workers into his budget. But he does not know how to infuse funds to revive DSC. The whole blame lies on the minister of power and Steel.”
