LAGOS AUGUST 23RD (URHOBOTODAY)-Delta State Peoples Democratic (PDP) Governorship Aspirant in 2007 general election, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has appealed to the Federal Government to revitalize the moribund Delta Steel Complex (DSC) situated in Ovwian/Aladja, Delta State.
Onuesoke made the call when Udu Youths agitating for President Goodluck Jonathan re-election in 2015 visited his office in Warri, Delta State pressurizing him to call on the Federal Government to reform the moribund DSC located in their community.
Onuesoke said if Delta Steel Plant is revamped, it would play an important part for which it was originally designed to play, adding that it would catalyse industrial development in the country through numerous upstream and downstream industries that will use it products and Nigeria will surely come out of the group of underdeveloped nations to become a fast developing nation.
“Beside, the revamping of DSC will return Warri in particular and Delta State in general to its old pride of place as people far and near will be attracted to the state as such opening road for other sources of businesses and ecocomic development. It will also create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the state. Federal and the state government will also gain by it as it will lead to increase in revenue generation for both arms of government,” Onuesoke who is the Country Director of Network for Good Governance (N4GG) explained.
He argued that the closure of DSC is a national” trauma in the land, adding that the sheer existence of the company attracted all Ezes, Lagbajas and Abubakars who got stuck into the ambiance of Warri and simply refuses to go even when the source of their initial lure was beginning to stink.
Speaking on the way forward, Onuesoke advised that there should be a joint partnership with the foreign companies that constructed DSC, run it in a holistic manner and also to complete and operate the Warri-Ajaokuta rail line with the needed rolling stock and put in place an operation and maintenance company for it.
He also called for the dredging of Warri Port to 10 or 12m draft and provide handling facility for Coal and Hot Briquette Iron (HBI) at Delta Steel Company harbour and accommodation of 50,000 to 100,000 tons ships at the harbour; special/captive Electricity Generation Plants at DSC to meet its electricity demands with the reduction and retraining of needed work force at plant for economic viability.
Onuesoke argued that the revamping of DSC will lead to Nigeria achieving some form of industrial regeneration and technological take off.