Reps probe Nigeria’s deal with Russia on Ajaokuta – TheNigerialawyer

The House of Representatives has begun investigation of the deal
Nigeria signed with Russia on the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta
Steel Company, alleging that details of the contract were not known
to Nigerians.

The House resolved to carry out the investigation at the plenary
on Tuesday following the unanimous adoption of a motion moved by
Uzoma Nkem-Abonta titled ‘Call for details of the agreement between
Nigeria and Russia on the completion of the Ajaokuta steel company
project.’

The House mandated the Committees on Steel; Treaties, Protocols
and Agreements to interface with the Minister of Mines and Steel
Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, on the agreement.

Also, the lawmakers mandated the House Committee on Treaties,
Protocols and Agreements to review all extant treaties entered into
by the Federal Government and other countries to ensure conformity
with the Constitution.

Nkem-Abonta recalled that the 8th National Assembly passed the
Ajaokuta Steel Completion Fund Bill in 2018 and transmitted it to
President Muhammadu Buhari for assent, which was withheld.

The lawmaker said the bill had been reviewed and the concerns
raised by the President addressed, re-gazetted and had passed first
reading in the 9th House.

Nkem-Abonta further recalled that President Buhari was reported
to have signed a government-to-government agreement with the
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, at the recently concluded
Russian-Africa summit in Sochi for the Russian engineering and
construction group, MetProm, to revive the company while the
African Export-Import Bank would finance the project.

He, however, stated that Section 12 of the Constitution provided
that no treaty between the federation and any other country “shall
have the force of law except to the extent to which any such treaty
has been enacted into law by the National Assembly.”