The Federal Government has taken a major step toward restoring operations at the Delta Steel Company in Ovwian-Aladja, Delta State, following the signing of an agreement aimed at reviving the facility.
The plant, currently operated under the name Premium Steel and Mines Limited (PSML), is expected to return to full-scale production as part of the government’s broader plan to strengthen Nigeria’s steel sector.
Speaking on the development, the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, said the revival of the facility would create thousands of jobs and help reduce the impact of poverty on the population.
Audu said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was committed to repositioning the Delta Steel industry to improve efficiency while ensuring that communities in the area benefit from the economic opportunities associated with the project.
The agreement is also expected to support the Federal Government’s efforts to transform Nigeria’s ageing steel assets into productive economic resources capable of driving industrialisation, diversifying the economy and creating sustainable employment.
The Delta Steel Plant was commissioned in 1982 with an installed capacity to produce one million tonnes of liquid steel annually. It was established as an integrated steel facility intended to play a major role in Nigeria’s industrial development.
However, the plant faced years of operational difficulties and reportedly functioned at only about 25 per cent of its designed capacity before eventually shutting down.
The facility has not operated as an integrated steel plant since 2015, leaving a major gap in Nigeria’s domestic steel production capacity.
The latest initiative forms part of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its efforts to expand local manufacturing, create jobs and put dormant productive assets back into use.
The Federal Government expects the revival of the plant to strengthen domestic steel production and contribute to Nigeria’s long-term industrial and economic development.
