1. Ebira Youth Congress (EYC) conveys profound thoughts over the operational recklessness, wanton desolation and unabated thievery at the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Itakpe, thereby calling for an urgent removal of the Sole Administrator, Mr Augustus Nkechika, for lack of capacity.
2. The Itakpe steel site currently sobers for being flippantly diminished basically for the managerial negligence and incompetence of the Chief Executive, whose actions and inactions stake such predilection on many rounds. Itakpe, which raises aloft our hope a prosperity for posterity currently wallows its plants and machineries in hapless wreckage and twist without investigative reports or prosecution.
3. This is a steel of an outcrop of about 4.3km and 950m of length and width respectively, and presently of about 630m from its original 950m above the sea level, sitting on a much larger deposit beneath.
4. Sadly, the firm clutches of party politics on our attention from the grassroot basics hold our leaders largely liable for their brazen flop in needful intermittent stopover to gauge our collective patrimony for firsthand progress information as a host community, which is why and how a Finance Person from afar is having a field day in Itakpe – a project that must be manned and headed essentially by a professional engineer or geologist. It is indeed a clear case of a square peg on a round hole in Itakpe as it stands, today.
5. The company warehouse has been emptied, with the Power and Utility Department completely marred with multiple armoured copper cable cart-off. Osara Dam, which is a unit under Beneficiation is now totally crippled by having all equipments, including the transformer, pumping machines and other critical appliances stolen. As the Pilot Mining Transformer Container of the Company remains elusive, another, is the multiple vandalism of the rail tracks within the steel territory. And the extremely suspicious and disturbing fire destruction of the multibillion naira Modern Hydraulic Drillers of recent, which investigations are still being manipulated, and Cargo Truck at the Ore Rail Line. Not undermining the numerous key company valuables, including a Wagon Carrier Locomotive running into hundreds of millions of naira, looted under an auction cover.
6. These and the likes reflect the claptrap rearing its ugly head in Itakpe, and hence, stirring our wariness of the likely repercussive proposition of the much-sung expected Russian Technical Auditors, who might swiftly deem the site as “Damaged Beyond Repair” if the prevailing trend is not knocked off at once by rejigging the management without further delay. And else, our “Itakpe” would be no more in due course!
7. We charge the Kogi State Executive Governor, the Nigeria’s Mines and Steel Development Minister, the Ohinoyi and other esteemed voice of Ebira nation to expeditiously pore over the theft and spoliation in Itakpe as well as the professional locus of Mr Nkechika to superintend the steel company from the Finance Personnel in the first place.
Signed:
Obiyo Ateiza Aliyu,
President-General,
Ebira Youth Congress (EYC).
08065338700.
Sunday, July 31, 2022.
