Samuel Bello, Abuja
Stakeholders in the Metallurgical Industry have called for the upgrade of the Metallurgical Training Institute (MTI) in Onitsha, Anambra State in a bid to reposition Nigeria’s metallurgical industry.
This was contained in a communique presented by the Metallurgical inspectorate and raw materials development department of mines and steel. Mr. Peter Okafor, at the end of the Second Nigeria Metallurgical Industry Stakeholders Engagement Forum of the South-South Zone recently in Asaba, Delta State.
Okafor, who spoke on the theme of the event “Development of Nigeria’s metal sector -A panacea for national development and imperative for Economic Diversification”, lamented lack of political will on the path of government to enforce policies and regulate the activities of operators in the sector.
He suggested that MTI should be upgraded to a degree Awarding institution to make it more attractive to the youths, especially now that the federal Government is Converting Diploma awarding institutions to universities
Okafor also recommended that the Nigeria Metallurgical Industry Bill be reprocessed to the National Assembly for passage into law as the bill is very key to the regulation of the metals sector.
“There should be testing and certification of all imported steels or other metal materials by the inspectorate arm of the ministry of mines and steel development in collaboration with relevant agencies
“Government should address the high cost of customs duties/import tariffs to make it more friendly, avoid double taxation and encourage investors and operators,” Said Okafor.