*After 46 Years, Ajaokuta Steel Gets Gas Lifeline as NNPCL Signs 20-Year Agreement*

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, Prof. Nasir Abdulsalam, has signed a 20-year Gas Supply Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, in what is being described as a major milestone in Nigeria’s industrial history.

The landmark agreement guarantees uninterrupted gas supply to the steel complex for the next two decades, addressing a critical requirement that investors had consistently cited as essential for the plant’s operationalization.

The deal is widely regarded as the breaking of a 46-year deadlock that stalled Nigeria’s ambition of building a thriving steel industry. Since its establishment, the Ajaokuta Steel Plant has remained largely inactive despite repeated efforts by successive administrations to revive it.

Industry observers described the breakthrough as a significant achievement under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes industrialization, economic diversification and strategic infrastructure development.

With the gas supply challenge now resolved, investor confidence is expected to rise, paving the way for the completion of outstanding processes required to commence full-scale production.

Analysts say the development will accelerate Nigeria’s industrial growth, create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, strengthen local manufacturing, reduce dependence on imported steel, and position Ajaokuta Steel as a catalyst for national economic transformation.

For many Nigerians who have waited decades to see the steel giant come alive, the agreement signals that Ajaokuta Steel is finally on the threshold of production. It brings renewed hope that one of Africa’s largest integrated steel plants will soon fulfill its long-envisioned role in the country’s industrial development.