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Experts lament as FG spends N20bn on idle Ajaokuta Steel in six years
The Federal Government allocated N20.4bn to Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited from 2016 to 2021 despite the company’s idleness.
The data were collated from the appropriation bill for each year available on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation.
In 2016, N295.1m was allocated with N135.2m released by October of that year.
However, a detailed breakdown of the expenditures for the year was not available.
In 2017, the total allocation was N4.3bn with recurrent expenditures at N3.9bn and capital expenditures at N354.1m.
For the recurrent expenditures, total personnel cost was put at N3.8bn while total overhead cost was put at N75.3m.
In 2018, the total allocation was N4.3bn with recurrent expenditures at N3.9bn and capital expenditures at N354.1m.
For the recurrent expenditures, total personnel cost was put at 3.8bn while total overhead cost was at N75.3m.
Further breakdown showed that salaries and wages cost N2.9bn, allowances and social contribution cost 895.3m, uniforms and other clothing cost N2.5m, refreshments and meals cost N1.8m, and purchase of bus cost N41.3m.
Funds were also budgeted for certain projects such as the maintenance of power facilities for N106.3m, construction /provision of water facilities for N196.5m, lighting and security of Ajaokuta steel plant at N10m and purchase of a 30-seater bus at N413m.
In 2019, the total allocation was N3.6bn with recurrent expenditures at N3.3bn and capital expenditures at N262m.
For the recurrent expenditures, total personnel cost was put at N3.25bn while total overhead cost was put at N75.3m.
Further breakdown showed that salaries and wages cost N2.5bn, allowances and social contribution cost N793.6m, uniforms and other clothing cost N2.5m, refreshments and meals cost N1.8m, and purchase of bus cost N41.3m.
Funds were also budgeted for certain projects such as the maintenance of power facilities for N87.7m, construction /provision of water facilities for N123m, lighting and security of Ajaokuta steel plant at N10m and purchase of a 30-seater bus at N41.3m.
In 2020, the total allocation was N3.7bn with recurrent expenditures at N3.6bn and capital expenditures at N147.2m.
For the recurrent expenditures, total personnel cost was put at N3.5bn while total overhead cost was put at N51.5m.
Further breakdown showed that salaries and wages cost N43.3m, allowances and social contribution cost N5.4m, uniforms and other clothing cost N273,684, and refreshments and meals cost N1.6m.
Funds were also budgeted for certain projects such as the maintenance of power facilities for N43m, construction/provision of water facilities for N94.2m, and lighting and security of Ajaokuta steel plant at N10m.
In 2021, the total allocation was N4.2bn with recurrent expenditures at N4bn and capital expenditures at N253.9m.
For the recurrent expenditures, total personnel cost was put at N3.9bn while total overhead cost was put at N72.3m.
Further breakdown showed that salaries and wages cost N3bn, allowances and social contribution cost N846.5m, uniforms and other clothing cost N2.5m and refreshments and meals cost N1.8m.
Fund was budgeted for only one project in 2021, which was the construction/provision of water facilities for N80m.
Russia’s Tyazpromoexport built the plant, which was incorporated in 1979.
The steel mill reached 98 per cent completion in 1994, with 40 of its 43 plants having been built before it got stuck, with the remaining two per cent for external infrastructure like waterways and viable ports.
Despite the regular budget, the steel company is yet to commence full operations in over 42 years, with the government making failed attempts at privatisation and concession.
In an attempt to revamp the company, an Indian company, Global Steel Holdings Limited, won the concession of the Ajaokuta steel mill for a 10-year period but the agreement was revoked when the Federal Government accused the firm of asset stripping, a development which led to a court case between the two parties.
The Federal Government announced in 2016 that the legal dispute had been resolved, after it reportedly ceded the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, to Global Steel for the remaining concession period, in line with an agreement reached during mediation talks.
However, the resolution has since turned contentious.
In 2019, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), ordered the completion of the company.
In 2020, the Senate also passed a resolution urging the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, complete the Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
The Federal Government inaugurated the Ajaokuta Presidential Project Implementation Team.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, said that the Ajaokuta Presidential Project Implementation Team would enact a pact reached between Buhari and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, which required the East European country to assist in completing the project and finding a Russian firm to manage it on Build-Operate-and-Transfer basis.
The minister said that Afreximbank would fund the project with $1bn, while the Russians would offer $460m, adding that a Russian firm, MetProm Group, would ensure the completion and operation of the steel company.
However, efforts at concession have failed.
There had also been calls on the Federal Government to privatise the company.
The Federal Government halted privatisation move, stating that the problem with the Ajaokuta Steel Company was very complex.
Adegbite had said that the Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd. would function to capacity before the end of the regime of Buhari.
The minister added that the Federal Government had made efforts to ensure that the Russian company that built the steel industry would come to Nigeria to conduct a technical audit of the company.
Ajaokuta steel project, a waste of government scarce resources, say experts
An economist and a senior lecturer of economics at the Pan Atlantic University, Dr Olalekan Aworinde, who said that he was familiar with the establishment, described the company as a waste of government resources as it is currently inactive.
He, however, said that the company had the potential to significantly drive down unemployment, improve economic growth and boost the country’s foreign reserves.
He said, “I believe it is just a waste of government resources because If you go there you will see that there are a lot of workers, getting paid without working.
“Also, majority of the infrastructures that are put in place in that country are out of date and moribund; they can’t serve any purpose at this time.
“The only solution is to update the technology and equipment. The government should be ready to do a total overhaul of the establishment; bring in the right people and the latest technology.
“Iron oil is in abundance in Itakpe. So, if the government is able to revamp the establishment, it can reduce the rate of unemployment to a reasonable level.
“This will contribute immensely to the Gross Domestic Product growth of the country. It will also lead to the appreciation of the naira as we are going to demand less of the dollar.
“You see all those steel that we import into the country, they require foreign exchange to get them into the country.
“In summary, a functional Ajeokuta Steel Company will mean improved economic growth, reduction in unemployment. It will also help to stabilise the forex market and improve our foreign reserves.”
A former President of the Nigerian Metallurgical Society and a professor of metallurgical and materials engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Benjamin Adewuyi, said that the problem with Ajaokuta was internal.
He said, “Ajaokuta Steel Company has a problem that is internal but it is not that it cannot be revived. Ajaokuta can be revived.
“The greatest problem is that those people who have benefitted in past in the corruption of Ajaokuta will not allow Ajaokuta to function.”
He added that the company could function in six to eight months if the government implemented a steel programme and allowed those in the Ajaokuta Presidential Project Implementation Team to function.
He added, “We have told the government several times that in less than six to eight months, Ajaokuta will start functioning if a steel programme is put in place.
“If the government allows the people who have been appointed to look at the situation in Ajaokuta to function, I am sure very soon we will see the difference between the moribund industry and the functioning industry.”
He further emphasised the need for a steel university, which he believed would provide manpower for the steel company.
“If Ajaokuta starts to work, it would require a steel university to bring out manpower for the steel plant to function well,” he said.
In May this year, the Senate passed the Nigerian Steel University Bill after the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.
Sen. Sam Egwu, who presented the report of the Committee on behalf of the Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Kaita, said that the Nigeria Steel University, when established, would provide the required manpower for metallurgical and technological advancement in the country.
PUNCH
A Professor of Economics and Governance, Prof. Chiwuike Uba, has called on South African Government to take active responsibility of protecting foreigner and desist from ‘compromising inaction’.
Uba, Chairman of the ACUF Initiative for Policy and Governance, made the call on Thursday in Enugu in a statement he titled: “South Africa Is Playing with Fire, and Its Elites Are Holding the Match”.
He said that the lack of intentional action against the individuals and groups perpetrate the xenophobic attacks, who are non-state actors, raises serious questions under international law.
The don noted that “protection of non-nationals is a clear obligation, not a discretionary act.”
According to him, persistent failure to uphold this responsibility undermines both legal commitments and diplomatic credibility.
Uba said that the implications of the development extend far beyond South Africa, adding that it would have economically, politically and diplomatically consequences both to the country and Africa in general.
He noted that economically, the country is not just another market.
“It is a continental anchor. Its financial systems, industrial base, and regional linkages make it central to African growth.
“Prolonged instability would ripple outward, constraining trade, deterring investment, and weakening regional integration,” he said.
On the Political aspect, he said that South Africa had long been seen as a model of democratic transition and constitutionalism.
“If that model begins to fracture, it sends a powerful signal across the continent.
“It emboldens those who argue that institutional democracy cannot deliver, and it weakens reformist voices elsewhere,” he said.
Uba said that diplomatically, xenophobic violence is not a domestic issue when it targets foreign nationals.
He said, “It is an international concern that tests regional solidarity and diplomatic patience.
“Each episode forces other African governments to respond, balancing domestic outrage with the need to preserve bilateral relations.”
The don noted that over time, the balance in the country would becomes harder to maintain as non-state actors would be emboldened to perpetrate other unlawful acts as they view the government as weak or inactive.
The Apex sociocultural youth organization of the Igbo race worldwide, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has described the current arrest made by the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offence (ICPC) against former Minister of Science and Technology and the 2027 People Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Enugu State, Hon. Uche Nnaji, regarding his certificate, as a deliberate political witch-hunt orchestrated by the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Gov. Peter Mbah.
In a press address in Enugu on Wednesday, 8th July 2026, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), called on Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to maintain the commission’s ethical standards, threatening to seek his removal if evidence confirms the alleged bias of ICPC in favor of Governor Peter Mbah against Hon. Uche Nnaji regarding the 2027 Guber election.
*The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) revealed that the fight against Hon. Uche Nnaji is a battle for the Enugu Governorship and the “Lions Building Seat” in 2027, and dismissed the certificate forgery allegations against Uche Nnaji as a political distraction and blackmail.*
The surreptitious entry into the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to obtain a court order detaining Hon Uche Nnaji is a teleguided executive overreach attributed to Gov Peter Mbah apparently aimed at silencing Hon Uche Nnaji, which is highly censurable.
The Council stated that “A court of competent jurisdiction is presently handling the unsubstantiated certificate forgery case, and the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Hon Uche Nnaji have opted for an out-of-court settlement, following recent findings of misinformation.
Therefore, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), should maintain a neutral stance regarding the Enugu State Governorship battle to preserve his reputation built through his legal career and public service, and avoid being perceived as succumbing to Governor Peter Mbah’s alleged attempts to utilize executive power to blackmail and witch-hunt Hon. Uche Nnaji.
The Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) warned Governor Peter Mbah to concentrate on fulfilling his unfulfilled campaign promises to Enugu State rather than chasing Hon Uche Nnaji through the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
Families displaced by the recent fire outbreak in the Asata area of Enugu have received immediate relief from the Enugu State Government following the intervention of Governor Peter Mbah, who directed that palliative support be provided to ease their suffering.
Chairman of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (ESEMA), Chinasa Mbah, disclosed that the agency promptly delivered the relief materials in compliance with the governor’s directive.
“We have given them some palliative as directed by His Excellency. Our report has equally gone in, and we await further instructions,” Mbah said.
She explained that ESEMA has completed its assessment of the incident and submitted its recommendations to the state government, adding that additional assistance for the affected families will depend on the governor’s approval of the agency’s report.
The swift response underscores Governor Mbah’s commitment to standing with citizens in times of distress. The victims, whose homes and belongings were destroyed in the fire that gutted two flats in a two-storey building on Church Road, Asata, are expected to receive further support as the government considers ESEMA’s recommendations.
The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has defended the inclusion of projects outside its statutory mandate in the 2026 budget, insisting they are National Assembly constituency projects assigned to the commission for implementation.
However, the explanation has done little to quell public scrutiny, with critics questioning why a commission established to tackle the Almajiri system and out-of-school children—challenges largely concentrated in Northern Nigeria—is overseeing projects reportedly located in parts of the South-West.
The controversy has also been fuelled by concerns over the scale of the allocations, as the value of the disputed constituency projects is said to far exceed the funds earmarked for the commission’s core education programmes.
Responding to the criticism in a statement issued on Monday, the commission’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Nura Muhammad, said the projects were included in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the long-standing practice of assigning constituency projects to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution.
According to the commission, once such projects are approved in the federal budget and allocated to an agency, they become part of its implementation responsibilities.
“As part of a duly enacted federal budget, every project assigned to the commission forms part of its implementation responsibilities and will be executed in strict compliance with extant laws, financial regulations and due procurement processes,” the statement said.
NCAOOSCE maintained that the inclusion of the projects does not alter its statutory mandate, stressing that it remains focused on addressing the Almajiri system and reducing the number of out-of-school children across Nigeria.
The commission cited its achievements, including the profiling of more than 700,000 out-of-school children, the establishment of 119 learning centres, ward-to-ward advocacy campaigns, and the implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri Education, as evidence of its commitment to its core responsibilities.
This version attributes the concerns to critics and public scrutiny rather than stating them as established facts.
A Police Inspector, Dr. Obodo Paul Ikechukwu, has reportedly died after he was involved in a fatal road accident allegedly involving a police convoy in Enugu State.
The deceased, who hailed from Nkpologu in Enugu State, was serving in the Operations Department of the Enugu State Police Headquarters at the time of the incident.
Details surrounding the circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but sources said the inspector was fatally injured after being struck by a vehicle in a police convoy.
Dr. Obodo, who was also a PhD holder, was described by colleagues and associates as a dedicated officer whose death has come as a shock to members of the police command and his community.
As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the incident, while further details are being awaited.
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