NSC board members illegally parading themselves, but have been dissolved – Steel Minister

Nigeria’s Minister of Steel Developmet,
Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, has admitted that the National Steel Council members were illegally parading themselves against President Bola Tinubu’s order on board dissolution but has dissolved them before now.

He gave this indication in response to series of queries by House of Representative Committee on Steel Development on Thursday in Abuja.

Prince Audu reiterated that he issued a letter on Monday 29th of April 2024 reiterating Mr. President’s earlier pronouncement and thereby also dissolving the council on reiterating the resolution of the council in line with Mr. President’s earlier pronouncement. “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has sent a memo and a circular on 16 October 2023 dissolving all Boards of Federal Government, Parastatals and Agencies and it came to my attention that the National Steel Council was still asserting themselves as a legitimate board or a council for the NSC, which is the National Steel Council.

“They had written letters to me on several occasions which I deliberately did not respond because I was in the process of fact-finding the show, including setting up communications with the National Steel Council. Including setting up an investigative committee within the Ministry of Steel Development to give me a report on what the status of all the queries and their possessions were. Having concluded that exercise.

“The second, having done an internal investigation, we gathered all the materials that was discovered, all the investigations that were done, and we forwarded it to the appropriate investigative agency to investigate what has transpired. From a third-party perspective, so that nobody is accused of taking sides or maybe it was done internally. They made the accusation that maybe one or two people may or may not be compromised,” said the minister.

He further lamented that the National Steel Council has written letters to various parties, National Assembly, myself, Ministry of Finance, Accountant General, so many people, Chief of Staff, including SGF.

Following the line up of the quries, Chairman, House Committee on Steel Development, Hon. Zainab Gimba stressed on status of Ajaokuta Steel Company, following the News of Russian visited the steel company after the issue of the National Steel Council.

The house committee members lamented that no time frame of accomplishment of the Ajaokuta Steel.

House Committee further stressed that after 45yrs the Ajaokuta Steel Company is still struggling to survive.

In his response, the minister of steel development said that funding is a big constraints in revitalizing the steel company, adding estimate of $2 billion US dollars was estimated but have not concluded yet.

The house however urged the minister to always carried them alone.