Reps to FG: Suspend concessioning of Ajaokuta steel, iron ore mining coys

The House of Representatives Tuesday asked the Federal Government to suspend the ongoing process for the concession of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and the National Iron Ore Mining Company for stakeholders’ consultations.

The House adopted a motion by Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims and summoned the Minister of Mines and Steel Development for an explanation on the details of the concession process.

Halims had said the eleventh-hour request for the concession of the two companies at the twilight of the current administration, having left less than 30 days to the end of an eight-year tenure seemed to be “self-serving, unpatriotic and not of national interest.”

He called for a robust stakeholders’ consultation, proper procurement and due diligence in the concession deals.

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The House, therefore, mandated its committee on steel to investigate allegations of noncompliance with due diligence procedures.