NGO urges Buhari to appoint substantive leadership for Ajaokuta steel company

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

A Non-governmental Organization, NGO, Buhari Legancies Implementation Initiative, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to effect a speedy and expeditious change of guard at moribund Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mills for a substantive leader to take its mantle of leadership. 

The Secretary General of the NGO,  the  Abubakar Assaddeeq made the call in a statement he signed in Kano over the weekend.

He said there is nothing that could turn the fortune of the Ajaokuta Steel Company than the appointment of a professional to run its affairs.

According to him, the government seems to be in dire need of reviving the company, advising it to appoint substantive leadership to achieve the desired goals.

According to him, the famous Ajaokuta Steel Company had over the years suffered a serious neglect in the hands of past successive administrations at the expense of national interest pointing out that running the affairs of such a gigantic outfit is not the business of greenhorns. 

He said “lack of a substantive leader had been the bone of the company for inexplicable economic progress, reasons and that given a professional and experience with considerable expertise would be the best way forward to prove the efficiency of the organization for greater result stressing that entrusting unit affairs in the hands of mediocres would not be the answers,” 

Mr Assaddeeq noted that  the reappointment and extension of another two years to the sole-administrator of the company after five years of what he described as mischievous and incompetence in running the affairs of the company had deterred the Buhari administration ‘s resolve to make it functuonal before the president leave office.

“Furthermore, with the recent fire disaster that ravages the steel complex last week Tuesday for twelve hours, razing down some sections of buildings which took fire services six hours the following days before everything was brought under control, it  butress my point, over the issue of gross incompetence.

“ The damage inflicted by the disaster could have been ratified if concerted efforts were made at the top of the leadership. While calling on the Federal Government to avoid the mistake of planting a neophyte at the centre of the leadership of the company, i further stressed that the issue of incompetence must be taken into cognizance for the much pronounced goal to be achieved,” he said.