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World Bank pulls out of salary payment for Ajaokuta Steel staff

Indications emerged at the weekend, that staff of Ajaokuta Steel Complex, working in Mining Cadastral Office, will face serious financial crisis beginning from January 2021.

 

That is following the news that the World Bank paying their salaries has informed the country of its decision of pulling out of the gesture from January next year.

 

This was as it was revealed that the multi-million dollar Iron and Steel Project, which has been under construction for close to 40 years, might remain comatose if N3 billion was not provided for reactivation of the 21 plants next year.

 

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Mines and Steel Development, Senator Tanko Almakura, stated this in Abuja, saying that the N3 billion required in facilitating the engagement of experts from Russia for reactivation of the 21 plants in the Iron and Steel Complex, was not included in the 2021 budget earmarked for the Ministry Mines, Steel and Solid Minerals.

 

He said he had made presentation to that effect to the Senate Committee on Appropriations during presentation of the 2021 budget estimates of the Ministry to the Committee on Thursday last week.

 

According to him , the remarks made by the Committee led by Senator Jibrin Barau ( APC Kano North) for provision of the money in the final report on the 2021 budget, was not assuring enough.

 

“Nigeria has spent a lot on the Ajaokuta project than to allow just N3billion to make her decades old efforts, a mirage. Resuscitation of Ajaokuta

or the required appropriation. The N3billion is very necessary to be provided for in saving the Iron and Steel Project from total comatose “, he said.

 

He stated that completion of the Ajaokuta Iron and Steel Project would serve as a catalyst for diversification of the Nation’s economy which is one of the key policies of President Muhamnadu Buhari led government.

 

On the staff who may not be collecting their salaries from next year January, Senator Almakura explained that they were contract staff working at the Mining Cadastral office of the Complex and whose monthly salaries had been paid in the past years, from interventions from the World Bank which had notified the country that it would stop that gesture after December this year.

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