Ajaokuta Steel Coy: M-Belt youths slam EFCC with probe demand, seek Tinubu’s intervention
By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – Middle Belt youths on Monday demanded a comprehensive probe into the Ajaokuta Steel Company, criticizing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for inaction.They also called for presidential intervention to uncover the decades-long corruption and mismanagement plaguing this national asset.
The youths, under the aegis of the Middle Belt Youth Council, alleged that the consortium handling the project has a scandalous reputation for contract scams in Libya, India, Bulgaria, and Bosnia.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Comrade Emmanuel Zopmal, National Youth Leader of the Middle Belt Forum, stated that the project has been plagued by repeated contract renegotiations, cost overruns, and lack of transparency.
The group accused officials of the Federal Ministry of Steel Development, Federal Ministry of Justice, and Ajaokuta Steel Company of complicity in corrupt practices.
They demanded that the EFCC investigate and prosecute those responsible.
Zopmal warned that the youths would not hesitate to take necessary steps to ensure justice is served.
The Middle Belt youths said: “We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the long history of corrupt practices, financial mismanagement, and lack of accountability at the Ajaokuta Steel Company. The Ajaokuta Steel Company is a critical national asset that was established in the 1970s to drive industrialization and economic development in Nigeria.
“However, the reality is dire. All the major figures in the Federal Ministry of Steel Development, Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Ajaokuta Steel Company, involved in the manipulative international consortia contract negotiations and agreements, MUST be identified and brought to justice.
