Ebira Traditional Rulers Have No Locus And Shouldn’t Dabble Into The Politics of Ajaokuta Steel Project- Chief Barnabas Ojiah, the Eyize of Ebiraland

The Ajaokuta steel plant is a national establishment that can not be left to the whims and caprices of locals….”

In this special interview with the Eyize of Ebiraland, Chief Barnabas Ojiah. Chief Ojiah, an entrepreneur who is also the chairman of the EYIZE foundation. A non profit philanthropic organization for a world wide Charity. He is a notable player in the power sector particularly in the renewable energy of our national Development.

In this interview we spoke on many issues and most importantly about the petition written by some Kogi central monarchs to the Senate seeking a discontinuation of the petition written by the senator representing the Kogi central district seeking the investigation of the corruption and inefficiencies at the Ajaokuta steel plant and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, all located in Kogi state and many more raging issues of the moment…………Read on

INTERVIEW: We are very glad having you for this very important interview in view of the fact that you are a very busy man. Since the conclusions of the general elections we have not had much from you. Where have you been, sir?.

Chief: I have been as you said very busy especially as we make effort in putting the power sector on the right pedestal. I want to appreciate your efforts in helping galvanize all efforts through your publication to make our fledging democracy work. I feel great being here.

INTERVIEW: What is your impression about the performances of the various government’s in place since the general elections especially the Federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ?.

Chief: Nine months in the life of a new administration I would say is too short a time to make categorical statements on the performances of any administration. I totally agreed with the President when he stated in a recent speech he made in Lagos that Nigerians should not judge his performances just in nine months because it is too short a time to assess him. In developed climes, they assess the performances of their elected leaders in two years by a mid-term election allowed by their constitutions. It is only logical that we should be patient and allow the present administration to lay the foundations for the fulfilment of it’s election promises and this infact lies the reason for my absence from public discourse about governance since the elections. I have deliberately decided not to comment about this administration until after two years when we can do a mid term analysis of the administration

INTERVIEW: The elections are over and it seems that all that was wrong with our democratic process like the bitterness which comes after elections seemed to be cooling. Do you think we are now ready to keep politics aside till the next election and face developments?.

Chief: I believe that after the hurricane metaphor, it is natural that calmness will return. Politics is a human endeavour and we as humans and the nature we have wants to have it all at the same time and it is impossible. Agreed that no process in democracy is perfect anywhere and ours in Nigeria is not an exception and I thank God that after the hard fought elections in the country,we still have a country to call our own, because to the glory of God, calmness has returned.

: INTERVIEW: What is your impression about the present senator representing Kogi state central at the Senate,Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan ?.

Chief: I know she has the courage to do better. I doff my hat for her and I am encouraged by the way she is representing us in so short a time at the Senate. She is a reliable emissary of Kogi central.

INTERVIEW: Senator Akpoti- Uduaghan has been described by some of your elite as a very controversial politician. Is that true about Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan you know?.

Chief: Who are those elites you are talking about and what are the criteria you use in describing them as elites?. Come, I want us to stop giving nomenclatures to people who have done nothing to be so described as elites. We must stop ascribing to people good appellations they do not necessarily deserve because they must work hard to earn this appellations. Senator Akpoti- Uduaghan is to my mind irrespective of the political party she now belong is a shinning light in the political landscape of not only Kogi state but Nigeria in general.For a woman who became victorious by outlasting all the tough political Huddle’s placed on her way to achieving her dream of representing her people to be called controversial makes controversial what every one would want to be. This is a woman who is very passionate about her people who she loves very much. She is so familiar with the pains of politics but choose to be intensely compassionate to all. One of the best woman politician with the guts and the penache to make things work and she will.

INTERVIEW: Kogi state politics is in the news again recently with the same Senator Akpoti- Uduaghan raising a motion to the Senate calling for an investigation into the corrupt tendencies and inefficiencies at the AJAOKUTA steel company and the National Iron ore Mining Company,all located in Kogi state. What is your take on it, sir?.

Chief; Long over due. A project like the Ajaokuta steel company must not be allowed to die as the founding fathers had a very good intention for setting it up. The company have the capacity to take Nigeria to it’s technological quest destination but over the years it had been allowed to lie fallow and become a milking cow for those whose interest seems to have superceded that of the whole country. I commend the senator for having the courage to seek for an investigation and I tell you a can of worms will be unravelled in the course of this intended investigation because to us the common men, it stair us in the face.

INTERVIEW: We also heard she did not only particularize the Ajaokuta steel company as she also asked for a thorough investigation into the alleged $469 million dollars paid to the chairman of Global Infrastructures Holdings limited by the Federal government in September 2022 as a settlement over the ASL contractual disputes.

INTERVIEW: The amount paid to this contractors seems to be very huge and what do you think this payments seemed to have achieved?.

CHIEF: I want to state that in supporting the actions of the senator calling for an investigation into the payments done to those contractors,I recognise the fact that I am a stakeholder in the power sector and can proudly tell you that with $476 million Nigeria can create 30 companies out of that entity and you know what it can contribute to the growth and development of our country. I want to tell you this, one of my brothers died in line of duty in 1981.

INTERVIEW: We are indeed very sorry to hear that your brother died in the line of duty.

CHIEF: Yeah. He died in the line of duty to the AJAOKUTA steel project in 1981and I repeat that it would be a honour to his memory if the company is indeed resuscitated to be a major foreign exchange earner and also a major contributor to our GDP in Nigeria.

INTERVIEW: I was very shocked when you said about 30 companies can emerge from ASCO and be independent. Is the authorities aware of this?.

CHIEF: You can quote me anywhere. The authorities are very aware of this but what is lacking is the commitments to do the needful. The potentials of the Ajaokuta steel Mills and the National Iron Ore Company cannot be quantified. Are you talking of it’s capacity in getting the needed foreign exchange for the country,it’s capacity in creating employment opportunities and be a major catalyst for our technological growth and be a major contributor to our GDP growth etc. What is lacking is commitment by the authorities and even all of us as citizens to demand the present government does the needful.

INTERVIEW: This administration is indeed new but do you know of it’s policies for the steel sector and most especially,it’s plans for Ajaokuta steel company?.

CHIEF: I can tell you that I was there in one of the campaign rallies of president Bola Tinubu when he said categorically that the Ajaokuta steel company will be revived. I am going to hold the president to this promises till it becomes a reality and so too must all Nigerians. I know the President is a man that is committed to the fulfilment of his promises and this will not be an exception.

INTERVIEW: What do you think the commencements of this investigation will serve because the host communities seemed to be opposed to it abinitio?.

CHIEF: A lot and let me state that the host communities even though lucky to have the company domiciled in their communities do not have the locus to write a petition stopping a senator from carrying out her constitutional responsibilities. For God sake and make no mistake about it,Senator Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan is a senator of the Federal republic of Nigeria and the company in question do not belong to the ebira kingdom but to the whole country. The question about being stopped do not arise at all. This traditional rulers must thread with caution on this sensitive issue of national interest too because Nigerian need to know if this huge payments to this contractors is right or wrong and if it has served it’s purpose or not simple.

INTERVIEW: The traditional rulers in their petition stated clearly that allowing this investigation would scare away investors. How true is that?.

CHIEF: This assertion is baseless. No investors will like to invest his hard earned money in a project like this because as it is today it is like coming to a cesspool. But after this investigations and the outcomes known,the Ajaokuta steel project will become a major attraction for investors and you can take this assurance from me to the bank.

To my mind a step in the right direction which must be applauded by all. You see it is time our people applauds a good law maker when they see one and this petition or motion by her is not for self but for the growth and development of the country. A welcome development to unearth the evil being perpetuated for so long in this two important companies by some selected rent seeking personalities and entities.

INTERVIEW: It was really surprising when news filtered out that some selected traditional rulers particularly from the Kogi central districts wrote a counter petition to the Senate President calling for a stop to this well intended investigation called by senator Akpoti- Uduaghan?.

Chief: I am ashamed of the position taken by this highly respected traditional leaders who we expects should know better. What was laughable in their petition was their positions that she acted in isolation without the inputs of the critical stakeholders in the district and stating that her motion was an unwarranted public outcry. The traditional rulers whom some of us hold in high regard should know better.

NTERVIEW: Many find it very difficult to believe that traditional rulers who ordinarily should be the custodian of the people mellow to this level in view of the importance of this projects to your state and Nigeria in general. Is there no way they should have handled their grievances,if any?.

Chief: As traditional rulers, it was expected that they have an internal mechanism for managing issues of this nature. With this petition written by them,they have shown clearly that they have become politician’s because they seemed to have desecrated their offices and fretted away what seems to be left of their honour and integrity. The position they took on this issue is extreme. We expected that they should have known that there is an urgent need for peaceful, a very sustainable and a mutually beneficial relationship between them and their subjects in elective positions which I think the senator is one.

INTERVIEW: You said something is of surprise to you on this issue and what is it sir?.

Chief: Of surprise to me is the Ohi’s who previously had no voice ever since the struggle for Ajaokuta’s steel revival became the issues of the day,suddenly gaining strength to kick against the senator’s proposed investigation bid into the unwholesome practice surrounding the steel projects. It is unbelievable.

INTERVIEW: What is your view about the response from the national association of Nigerian students and the northern group to the traditional rulers?.

Chief: Yes I agree completely with their response. The time has come for this traditional rulers to know that the two projects situated in their domain are not owned by Kogi state but by the Federal government and so the Kogi central traditional rulers cannot decide the future of the steel plants . The time has come for the Federal government to support this investigations to unravel where the money paid by Dr.Godwin Emefiele,the former Central Bank governor, was kept, to whom and these beneficiaries must be unraveled for all to see.

Interview; pls may we know what is your contribution to the AJAOKUTA steel plant

Chief; Thank you very much for this beautiful question. My group CREDCO have been able to contribute significantly to the survival of the steel plant My company Credco is dominated by indigenous engineers largely trained by the company overseas to improve our indigenous capacity in the power sector.
We won in a competitive bidding with some other expatriate companies to resuscitate Ajaokuta steel company power plant.among other things we did was installation of 2 numbers SF6 breakers at the thermal power plant TPP.
We were also able to service 4 number breakers at Turbo blower Station, TBS.
We did the laying and termination of power cables.
We also handled the repair and servicing of 4 number 25 MVA transformer and finally, the installation of MD high voltage demand meters are all part of our contributions to the steel plant.
We are still present in Ajaokuta to continue to offer support services in their power plant till this moment.
In finality, if the power plant in the Ajaokuta steel company is fully resuscitated it can provide power supply to the entire Kogi state and environ, all year round.