By Joe Adedeji, Ilorin
The National President of the Nigerian Metallurgical Society (NMS), Prof. Suleiman Bolaji Hassan, has pleaded with the Federal Government to ensure immediate completion and operationalisation of Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
Also, the society president called on the Federal Government to complete all metallurgical industries across Nigeria and make them functional.
He made the plea while addressing the 35th Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Society held at the Main Auditorium of the University of Ilorin.
The theme of the Conference was “Role of Metallurgical Industries in Sustainable Development Goals”.
Prof. Hassan, who is also the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences, Jos, pointed out that for Nigeria to be truly developed, there was the need to have a sound and dependable industrial base.
He noted that the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, aside having a great potential of supporting the nation’s construction industry, has the capacity of providing 50,000 direct and over 100,000 indirect jobs for the teeming underemployed and unemployed Nigerians when completed.
The renowned Engineer noted that steel sector is the bedrock for industrialization adding that government steel industries in Nigeria are capable of stimulating the economic development of the country.
He, however, noted that the running of a steel industry is too capital intensive which must not be left totally to the private sector.
Prof. Hassan also pleaded that no effort should be spared at developing the metal and steel components of the nation’s natural resources.
He asserted that the contributions of the Metallurgical industries towards the realization of the aims and objectives of the government for developments could not be over emphasized.
In his lead paper at the conference, the Guest Speaker, Air Commodore Musibau Soladoye, said “the ability of a nation to explore, exploit and develop its natural resources is a strong basis for ensuring formidable and sustainable economic development”.
The Guest Speaker noted that all the advanced nations of the world were developed because they succeeded in ensuring the optimal utilization of their resources in all sectors of their economies.
Air Commodore Soladoye, therefore, enjoined the Federal Government to work on the nation’s vast human and material endowments for the benefit of the present and future generations of the country.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Kamwire Group of Industries, Ilorin, Alhaji Kamaldeen Ibitoye Yusuf, called on the government to put adequate measures in place to protect local industries against foreign domination in view of other several challenges they faced.