President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced that the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, in Kogi state which is nearing completion after being abandoned, will have the capacity to employ 500,000 Nigerians once it’s designated as a free trade zone.
The President further pledged to fully utilize the complex once it’s finished, expecting it to boost Nigeria’s foreign direct investment and create a favourable business environment for all sectors to thrive.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Tinubu, made these remarks during the launch of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
He hinted about plans by the Tinubu administration to make the Itakpe crop processing project a dream come true, just as he promised jobs and affordable education under the current government.
What he said
- “Given Mr President’s commitment to the development of Kogi State and indeed the entirety of Nigeria, Kogi, in particular, being a confluence state, cannot afford to have a governor who is hostile to the centre.
- We must be partners in progress and work hand in hand to develop this great nation,” the Vice President said.
A senator representing Niger East on the platform of APC, Sani Musa, had advised Federal Government to privatize moribund oil refineries to achieve local refining of crude oil and make the price of petrol affordable.
He said:
- “Proceeds from such privatization should be diversified into the mining sector to create jobs for the teeming Nigerian youth who are roaming the streets daily. The youth constitute 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population and must be made productive. This is possible if the mining and agricultural sectors are repositioned.”