Ajaokuta Steel boss wants journalists to be fair in reporting

The Sole Administrator of Ajaokuta Steel Company, Engineer Isiah Joseph Onobere, has urged journalists to always be fair and factual while reporting stories about the firm.
Onobere stated this in Ajaokuta, Kogi State, while addressing newsmen who were on a facility tour to the steel complex.
He lamented a situation where newsmen will sit down in the comfort of their offices and churn out news stories about the organization without embarking on a fact-finding mission to determine the true situation of things.
Onobere said: “It is a fact that the pen profession has always played a significant role in shaping the course of history and events.
“Given your status to be influential force in government, your visit is noteworthy.
“We will leverage on your immense power of enlightenment, information gathering and dissemination to alert the nation on the state of affairs here and hence positively change the narrative of this strategic sector towards realizing our dream of becoming a steel producing nation.”
Also, Onobere made it clear that the effort to make the Ajaokuta Steel complex to start functioning is in the collective interest of everybody as it will reduce unnecessary importation of steel and promote industrialization, which in turn will serve as a boost to the economy.
He also refuted the conception that the method used in steel making in Ajaokuta is outdated by stating that 70 per cent of countries who are renowned for their steel making used the blast furnace method.
He also stated that Ajaokuta Steel is also open to new and seasoned technological innovations.
While stating that many of its facilities are becoming dilapidated due to non-usage, Onobere thanked Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, for his efforts so far in ensuring the preservation and maintenance of the equipment and facilities of the plant, while waiting for the appropriate decision on the way forward.