•Seeks more funding for exploration, says raw material supply will not delay steel production
Wale Igbintade
The National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency (NSRMEA) has declared that Nigeria possesses an estimated three billion tonnes of iron ore reserves, enough to sustain operations at the Ajaokuta Steel Complex for decades, while assuring that raw material availability will not hinder the long-delayed steel plant once it begins production.
Director-General of NSRMEA, Kolawole Ogunbiyi, disclosed this in Kaduna while outlining the agency’s preparedness to support the revival of Nigeria’s steel industry through the supply of critical raw materials.
He said extensive geological exploration carried out over the years had confirmed that Nigeria possesses abundant deposits of iron ore, limestone and coal, the three essential raw materials required for steel production—with iron ore accounting for about 95 per cent of steel-making inputs.
