By Muhammad Mahdi Waziri
Nigeria’s Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has disclosed that Nigeria attended the recent historic St Petersburg’s Russia-Africa Summit to discuss, among other things, how to revamp the country’s multi billion naira Ajaokuta Steel Company which was abandoned at the point of 98 percent completion.
Vice President Shettima who emphasized that Nigeria is optimistic that its partnership with Russia will definitely lead to the revamping of the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill which, if completed and finally takes off, will arguably be one of the biggest in the world.
Shettima who made this known in an interview program with an official Television station in Moscow reiterated that Nigeria is convinced that Russia, as an important player in the world in many rare fields, particularly technology and agriculture will help Nigeria, as one of the few countries in the world that is blessed with all kinds of potentials that if properly harnessed will make Nigeria one of the leading countries in the world in every sense of the word.
Commenting on the agricultural potentials of Nigeria, the Vice President said Nigeria is the only country in the world that Agricultural Scientists posit that because of the fertility of its soil even if money is planted in Nigerian soil, the money will grow to produce more monies.
“It is because of some of these rich potentials which were untapped by successive governments that President Bola Ahmed Tiniubu is committed to partner with the Russian federation to harness in his resolve to make Nigeria the commercial and business hub of the world”, the Vice President reiterated.
The Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited was incorporated in 1979 under President Shehu Shagari who began the project which was 84 % completed by the time his government was toppled in a military coup by General Muhammadu Buhari in 1983. The steel mill reached 98% completion in 1994, with 40 of the 43 plants at the facility having been built.