The Permanent Secretary , Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Abdulkadir Muazu said the ministry has developed a road map on sustainable programs, strategies and activities for the development of the metallurgical sector with the aim of taking it to the next level.
Muazu stated this in his speech at the 2nd Nigeria Metallurgical Industry forum held in Lagos recently with the theme Developing SMEs in the Metal Sector for Economic Diversification, Job Creation and National Prosperity.
“It is an identified fact that the steel and other metals development has unarguably remained the bedrock of industrialization, sustainable growth and development of any nation. Virtually everything we use today either has components of metals or is produced using metallic equipment. Based on this fact, the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari is poised to create enabling environment for the metallurgical operators and all allied metal outfits in the sector,” he said.
He said the ministry was collaborating with all relevant government agencies for the recovery and re-operationalization of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited.
In his presentation, the Director, Metallurgical Inspectorate and Raw materials Development (MI&RMD), Victor Ihebinike said the drafting of the Nigerian Metallurgical Industry Bill was informed by the strong desire to develop a vibrant and robust Metallurgical Industry subsector with government relinquishing its erstwhile role as Owner Operator to the private sector and reposition itself as administrator regulator.
