By ABAH SUNDAY, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of Steel Development Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu has reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to deliver on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s key priority of growing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country for sustainable economic and infrastructural greatness through the Steel Sector.
Prince Shuaibu gave this assurance while delivering his keynote address at the 2-Day Ministerial Management Retreat which kicked off Thursday in Abuja, organised by the Ministry to chart a course for achieving the presidential priorities for the sector.
According to him, the reviewed Presidential 8-Key Priorities has the steel sector as a focal point for driving the economic development of the country.
“A critical evaluation of the eight (8) Point Agenda suggests the critical place of the steel sector in the realisation of these goals, especially in the areas of industrialisation, manufacturing, and unlocking the natural resources potentials of the country,” he said.
Speaking further, Prince Audu, while giving an overview of the steel industry from conceptualisation in 1958, stated that despite the ugly history of steel development in Nigeria over the past four decades, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has shown willingness to address the protracted challenges facing the industry.
According to him, the creation of Ministry of Steel will give direct focus to the sector for it to become the bedrock of industrialisation of the Nigeria economy.
In his remarks, the Minister of State of the Ministry, His Excellency, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, said the Retreat would afford the management staff the opportunity to dissect each of the eight key priorities of the administration and explore ways to translate them into actionable strategies for the ministry.
He noted that the retreat would offer the valuable opportunity to deeply understand how each of the eight priorities intersects with the steel industry; develop a comprehensive roadmap that would align with the ministry’s strategies and the Eight Presidential Priority areas; identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and ensure accountability; formulate actionable plans with realistic timelines and resource allocation for each priority area; foster collaboration between the ministry, National Assembly, and other stakeholders across the industry among others.
He urged members to actively participate, share insights, and engage in constructive dialogue, open discussions, brainstorming sessions, adding that participants should use the opportunity to make a tangible difference for the industry.
Delivering welcome address earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Mary Ogbe, said the theme of the retreat, “Delivering on the Eight Presidential Priorities,” aligns perfectly with the ministry’s goal of ensuring the optimal utilisation of the country’s steel resources for the overall benefit of the nation and its citizens.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Steel Development, Sen. Patrick Ndubueze, stressed the importance of the Ministerial Management Retreat as it offers an avenue for stakeholders to brainstorm, propose as well as propound ways to move the sector forward and harness the benefits for economic development of the country.
Earlier, in his goodwill message, Chairman, House Committee on Steel Development, Dr Zainab Gimbal, represented by the Deputy Chairman, Hon. Yusuf Umar Datti, said the Committee attaches great significance to the development of the steel sector, giving its huge employment potential.