COVID-19 Hindering Ajaokuta Technical Auditors – Minister
The Federal Government has received funds for the establishment of regional mineral projects in all regions and has explained that the COVID-19 pandemic was preventing the arrival of technical auditors for the completion of Ajaokuta Steel plant.
According to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, the creation of regional mineral projects in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones would bring about increase in the mining sector’s revenue.
Adegbite disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by an official of his ministry’s media department, Idowu Jokpeyibo, while speaking on his ministry’s activities.
The statement read in part, “The minister said the Federal Government has received funds to establish regional projects as a way of cushioning the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic on businesses by giving priorities to minerals where each of the geopolitical zones has comparative advantage.”
Adegbite stated that the government was building a plant to process Kaolin in Bauchi State, North-East Nigeria, adding that the completion would bring an end to the importation of Kaolin.
He was quoted as saying, “Bauchi is very rich in Kaolin which is used in pharmaceuticals and the paint industry; so we are building a plant to process Kaolin in Bauchi.”
He said a gemstone market would be built in Ibadan in the South-West, while the production of barite would be developed in Ogoja, Cross River State.
The minister said the Federal Government would discourage the export of raw lead by building a lead processing plant in Ebonyi in the South-East, adding that the state would export lead ingot with all the impurities removed.
Adegbite said a gold smelting plant would be situated in Kogi State for the North-Central zone due to its gold deposit and as a way of supporting artisanal miners in the state.
Kano, according to the minister, was selected from the North-West zone for the establishment of a gold souk as a way of bringing back the old story of gold trade to Kano.
“What we are doing in Kano essentially is not just a market; we are going to have people in the market who can turn the gold into products by transforming your raw gold and adding value to give you jewelries,” he explained.
Adegbite, however, stated that the Federal Government would not be involved in running the business in the six zones but would explore the public private partnership initiative.
On Ajaokuta Steel, he stated that a lot of work had been done towards the completion of the plant but for the pandemic which had prevented the arrival of the technical auditors.
The minister, however, expressed hopes that the current government would start something irreversible that would lead to the completion of the steel plant.
