…..Denies
being sponsored
……As
House Committee begins investigation
A lawyer and social reformer, Barrister Natasha
Akpoti, on Saturday expressed delight with the high degree of determination so
far exhibited by Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello to move Ajaokuta Steel
Company forward.
She also dismissed insinuations of being sponsored
by some individuals in the country.
"As a governor, Yahaya Bello must be met daily
with tons of ideas. Ajaokuta Kogi Nigeria Limited could have been one of those
he ventured into based on recommendations best available to him at that moment
in time. I hold no brief for him and I still believe that in the spirit of
democracy, his government owes an explanation to the good people of Nigeria.
However, while focusing ahead, it’s good to know Bello supports the call for
TPE of Russia as technical partners and has openly appreciated the resilience of
our advocacy. So I chose to hold His Excellency to his words" she said.
Akpoti who spoke to newsmen in Abuja Saturday
disagreed with the thinking in some quarters that her recent friendship with
Governor Bello was for her own selfish purposes.
"In the past months, there have been some
relationships forged between the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello and myself.
Clearly, we are collaborating towards an accelerated resuscitation of Ajaokuta
Steel Company amongst others. This alliance will no way overturn or tamper with
our code of ethics and societal ethos which has laid the foundation upon which
we seek economic justice for Ajaokuta Steel Company and her captive mine -
National Iron Ore Company, Itakpe both in Kogi State."
According to her, the involvement of the Kogi State
Government in the alleged lopsided attempted acquisition of the steel complex
via a vehicle registered as Ajaokuta Kogi Nigeria Limited as exposed during the
March 1, 2018 presentation before the House of Representatives was all true.
"Whether such actions were taken with the full
knowledge of Governor Yahaya Bello or not or in the best interest of the state
and country or not shall be decided in the course of the House of Reps
investigation which commences on Monday, June 4, 2018."
The leader of Ajaokuta/Itakpe Revival Movement
provided what may well be an insight into the twists and turns in the journey
to revive the steel company
"However, as every journey has a destination,
so also before I embarked upon this Herculean task alongside millions of
patriotic Nigerians; there was a destination at heart. This was unequivocally
to pursue and influence good government decisions towards the judicious revival
of Ajaokuta Steel Company and the steel sector in general. Without mincing
words, we stood against its privatization and pressed for a Government to
Government engagement between Russia and Nigeria in order to reengage the
original builders TyazhPpromExport (TPE) directly as technical partners for a
short term thereby cutting out the middle men/companies to help curb corruption
and in turn, yield desired socio-economic benefit of the masses. Having set
these goals, we embarked upon a journey we had absolute no control of its
twists and turns. For three years, a lone voice became a movement of millions.
Relationships were bruised, characters were smeared, lives threatened but most
importantly patriotism grew as Nigerians from the North to South, East and West
found a cause worth uniting and fighting for irrespective of religious and
ethnic sentiments" she said.
Akpoti explained that as the case of Ajaokuta Steel
Company, there was no cause for alarm as the company was on a sure path of
revival.
"On the brighter side, Ajaokuta Steel Company
is on a sure path of revival because the much needed political will is being
stimulated across the tiers of government. I, alongside the reputable Nigerian
Society of Engineers (NSE), African Iron and Steel Association (AISA) and a
host of other professional stakeholders are working with the National Assembly
to create a set of laws to establish a responsive and protective ecosystem for
the steel sector. We are also advocating for the establishments of a Steel
Development Authority (just like we had in the 70s). The rationale behind this
is to promote the separation of powers which are presently mumbled up in the
Ministry of Solid minerals. In essence, the Steel Authority shall oversee the
operations and productivity of the steel sector; while the ministry shall serve
as regulators for pricing, policy formulations and others. With all the right
collaborations being set in place, however late, I have no doubt the
resuscitation of Ajaokuta’s steel complex for the good of Nigeria will be a
dream come true."
Akpoti excitely told newsmen that she decided
to forge a healthy alliance to promote an accelerated resuscitation of
Ajaokuta Steel Company along agreed common grounds.
"From childhood, after the sudden demise of my
father at the age of 49; I developed a great appreciation for the value of time
being the most precious of resources. We can always make the money we lose, but
never the time wasted. In addition, I am also one with great respect for
authority especially in this part of the world where the pen is still mightier
than the voices of the populace; so I had to apply reason to save time for the
greater good of Ajaokuta and its delayed promises to Nigeria and her sinking
economy. So after the expose of conspiracies on the floor of the National
Assembly; wise elders counseled on the importance of managing time and
authority. We as a movement had a choice to either spend the next moments
agitating about the mistakes of the past or cutting our loses, call on the
relevant parties together, especially the stakeholders in government and forge
a healthy alliance to promote an accelerated resuscitation of Ajaokuta Steel
company along agreed common grounds" she added.
Credit:
Ebireri Henry Ovie
