Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s candidate for president, has been accused by the federal government of lying.
Following Atiku’s declaration that, if elected, he will resolve the Ajaokuta Steel Company’s issues,
Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, gave the opening remarks at the 19th iteration of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration scorecard series (2015–2023) in Abuja.
When Atiku visited Kogi State two weeks ago as part of his campaign, he promised to address the issues the Ajaokuta Steel Company is now facing if elected.
A little background check would reveal that Atiku was misleading Nigerians when he made that vow, according to Mohammed, who claimed that the former vice president’s dishonest statement was the result of his thirst for power.
He claims that the Olusegun Obasanjo administration granted a concession to Global Steel Industry in 2004 regarding Ajaokuta.
“Who was in charge of that Administration’s privatization programme? Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. That concession that turned out to be a mess was terminated by another PDP Administration.
“Following the failed concession, the concessionaire, Global Steel Industry, took Nigeria to court, asking for $7 billion, and that case lingered for 12 years until the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari stepped in and the company finally settled for $496 million.
“Out of the amount, we made a bulk payment of $250 million and agreed to pay the balance in five instalments. To date, we have paid a total of $446 million out of the $496 million. We will make the last payment of $50 million next month and Ajaokuta will revert fully to us -ending the shameful and failed concession by the Administration in which Alhaji Atiku Abubakar served as the VP,” he stated.
Mohammed added that now, “we are talking to investors who are ready to bring their money into Ajaokuta to make sure it works. The Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development, who was here last month, assured that before this Administration leaves office, Ajaokuta will be concessioned in what he called equitable terms.
“What I am saying, in essence, is that the problems facing Ajaokuta was the poorly-thought-out and poorly-executed concession by the regime in which Alhaji Atiku was Vice President, and a regime under which he presided over the failed privatization programme.”
He said if Atiku had any solution to the Ajaokuta challenge, and he did not execute it in 2004, “why should Nigerians trust him to do so in 2023, almost 20 years later?”
Mohammed said “Apparently, the former VP is not even aware of the current status of Ajaokuta, the settlement reached with the concessionaire and the payments made. Without this information, how does he want to revive the steel company?
“Nigerians should beware of snake oil salesmen, who engage in deceit just to swindle them. The solution to Ajaokuta does not lie in the hands of the same people who scuttled the development of the country’s steel industry through a questionable concession. Nigerians beware! Don’t allow yourselves to be conned twice.”