Senator Natasha Lacks Facts on Ajaokuta Employees and it’s workings- Workers
Workers of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited(ASCL) have debunked claims allegedly made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District that the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited Workers were unverified and alluded that they were Ghost Workers.
The workers, under the aegis of Coalition of Ajaokuta Steel Company Workers Union in a statement over the weekend said that Senator Natasha lacks facts on Ajaokuta employees and it’s workings and need to be tutored and schooled on the exact status of the steel complex.
The Statement was signed by Executives of the Coalition of Ajaokuta Steel Workers represented by Comrades
Usman Bashiru, Anouda Isah Umar, Ovajimoh Yahaya
and Salihu Idowu Adinoyi.
Business Africa Digest reports that Senator Natasha claimed and alleged in a recent investigative hearing on Ajaokuta Steel Company that “she made an unscheduled visits to the company and hardly found 10 people working there”.
The Senator also alleged that despite such a humongous amount of money being spent as personnel cost by the Steel Company on yearly basis, no steel has been manufactured and no mill rolled”.
The Ajaokuta workers further said “Contrary to her assertions that the staff are not up to ten (10) at sight when in her words she sneaked into the Company at a time, we state that while we do not want to join issues with when an how she came to the Company, we state emphatically that her claim is incorrect and to the best of our knowledge and records available to us as Union Executives, the current staff disposition of the Company is 1627 and this figure is as at July, 2024”.
According to the statement, “It is also important to note that as at ten (10) years ago the staff strength of the Company doubled this number. The downward trend is associated with retirements, resignations and death since no replacements were being made to make up the aging workforce”.
The Ajaokuta workers coalition noted that there was need to respond to the misinformation and erroneous claims made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan regarding the Budget Personnel Cost provisions of our Members/Workers in the 2024 National Budget vis-à-vis the Staff Strength and put the record straight.
The workers also posited that the Senate Ad-hoc Committee invited all Stakeholders to discuss a way forward for the challenges bedevilling the Steel Company and “we are also invited and it was during this meeting that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan made the claim with no evidence to back up her assertion”.
“We also state here that our workers are well trained and dedicated with skills that has enhanced the shelf life of the facilities in the Steel Plant to date. In fact it is the skills, knowledge and capacity of these dedicated Workforce that gave values to the 2002, 2010 and 2018, Technical Audits of the facilities of the Steel Plant and these exercises were carried out with the active participation of these same Workers that are now been hounded through misinformation”
The workers said while they appreciate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for concerns and efforts on the Ajaokuta Steel Plant challenges, like all other relevant Stakeholders of, which the workers representatives and the Workers themselves are part of, they fervently urge her to refrain from spreading information on Ajaokuta Steel Plant without FACTS especially on matters related to the very hardworking Staff of the Company.
“This is because such actions are capable of truncating efforts already put in place, loss of jobs of the Workers she claims to be her priority. The Body of the Workers and their Executives also urge her to engage in constructive dialogue and collaborate with other stakeholders to address the challenges of the Company”, they said.
The workers also tutored the Senator that it was important for her to know that Ajaokuta staff salaries in the Federal Civil Service are administered based on CONPS, CONHESS and CONMESS Consolidated Salary Structures classified between Grade Levels 02-17 and our Members are so placed depending on their experience, qualifications, length of service and are not based on off handed calculations like the Senator tried to postulate.
“It is on record that, the Federal Government had since 2012 being paying the Salaries of the Staff through the Federal Ministry of Finance-IPPIS Desk directly to the accounts of our members from the Personnel Cost Budget Allocation domiciled in the Accountant-General’s Office”.
The workers noted also that the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation physically visited the Steel Plant and conducted on the spot audit of the Staff between 7th and 18th February, 2022 and just recently in April, 2024.
At the moment the IPPIS has commenced a verification exercise of Federal Government Treasury Funded Workers and our Members are participating in the verification exercise. It is therefore sad that the Senator would make such damaging and unverified claims without checks with Stakeholders, the Management, the Ministry and even the Office of the Head of Civil service but went ahead with the offensive claims that seek to destroy the zeal and commitment of the Workers who have put in all to save the Steel Plant from vandalism and above all made it stable, serviceable and attractive to investors.
Schooling the distinguished Senator more on facts, the Ajaokuta workers said from the series of the Staff verification exercises carried out by both the Office of the Head of the Civil Service and the IPPIS Desk of the Federal Ministry of Finance, there was no reported case(s) of any ghost Worker(s) found amongst our Members, thus this rejoinder is to politely correct Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s misinformed claims on our staff disposition and not deserving of being paid Salaries. We note sadly that even her arithmetic on the figures she quoted appear to us as blackmail.
Explaining more on their roles on stabilizing the steel complex till date, they said “It is our responsibility as representatives of the Worker to put the records in perspectives as to what we do and our responsibility to Ajaokuta Steel Plant and to the Federal Government that is responsible for the payment of our Salaries and Allowances”.
“We have since the exit of Global Infrastructure (GIHL) been responsible for the maintenance of the completed Units of the Steel Plant by way of idle- running of the Machine and Equipment, Security, General Administration, Hospital Management”.
“In the Steel Plant for instance, our members still run a 2-Shift Work schedule to ensure that some of the Electrical Systems are energized periodically, while rotor dynamic equipment are also rotated manually to ensure the weight on the bearings are not static. Dewatering of the underground pumps and cable tunnels are managed by these same workers because the Steel Plant is located by the River Bank and some of the facilities like the Main Water intake is below the River Level and are manned 24 hours”.
Furthermore, “In the Township, the Electricity Transmission/Distribution Lines which is about 95kilometers, 26 Transformers in the Housing Estates, and over 200 industrial Transformers doted across the Steel Plant are also managed and maintained by these Workers.
In our Hospital, the Medical Doctors, Nurses are on duty every day of the week and in fact, our Hospital is the only Medical Facility which has and still does assist in emergency cases in and around Ajaokuta Steel Territory. Most accident cases that happen between Lokoja and Ajaokuta as well as within Ajaokuta are referred to our Medical Centre”.
The workers posited that the present serviceable condition of the Steel Plant is because of the Workers who are in the employment of the Company and in fact their presence prevents vandalization of equipment.
We wish to draw the attention of the public of an episode that occurred in 2004 when the Indian Company took over the Steel Plant. The Company came in with a large number of Indian Staff from their Country and their attempt to start the Steel Plant could not work until they allowed our Nigerian Workers take the lead and in less than three (3) months the Light Section and the Wire Rod Rolling Mills were jump started. This forced the Indian Management to return so many Indians back to their Country. This clearly shows the skills and capacity of our Members and their commitment to ensuring that the Steel Plant remains serviceable and worthy of investment”, the worker said.
The workers drew the Senator’s attention to a recent by some investors who have showed interest on partnering with the Federal Government on the Steel Plant have visited the facilities and all went back satisfied that the Steel Plant has been and remain well preserved and of course this feat did not just happen; someone made it happen and that is the workers.
The workers commend and appreciate the Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Investigating Committee for his sense of duty and openness in the way and manner he handled the situation.
“Ajaokuta Steel Plant is beyond all of us as it is a National Asset and we must collectively work together on a path that seeks growth and development for our Communities, our States and our Nation; because working as team and as Joint Stakeholders is what will move Ajaokuta forward and not by fragmented approach”, the workers said.
