The Ajaokuta Steel Plant, a massive metals complex located along the banks of the Niger River, about 200 kilometres south of Abuja, is facing renewed efforts to attract investors and restart operations.
According to the plant’s Managing Director, Nasir Naeem Abdulsalam, the biggest challenge that has discouraged investors over the years has been the lack of a reliable gas supply.
He said several potential investors from different countries have repeatedly raised the same concern: how they would secure enough gas to power the facility.
“Without gas, you can’t operate the plant,” Abdulsalam said.
He explained that while all possible options remain open, a build-operate model has emerged as the preferred approach for reviving the steel complex.
Abdulsalam disclosed that investors from the United States and China have already carried out technical assessments of the facility, although he did not reveal their identities.
According to him, the assessments suggest that the plant’s blast furnaces could be restored within six to seven months, while other sections, including rolling mills, supporting infrastructure and auxiliary facilities, could take between two and three years to complete.
However, Ajaokuta’s history of failed revival attempts has created doubts among some industry experts.
Previous efforts involving Russian firms, including Tyazhpromexport, the original builder of the plant, failed to deliver results. Other companies such as Japan’s Kobe Steel Ltd. and India’s Ispat Industries Ltd. also abandoned plans to revive the complex.
Yusuf Ochejah, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Metallurgical Society and a former assistant director at the plant, expressed scepticism about the latest plans.
“It’s all noise,” Ochejah said, arguing that the plant’s steel-making section has never been fully tested and that the blast furnace system has never achieved actual production.
He warned that any new investor would require significant financial commitment and technical effort to bring the facility into full operation, describing the project as more than just restarting an old plant.
