Ohanaeze Youths Raise Alarm Over Alleged Salary Fraud in Ajaokuta Steel Company

• The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council uncovers “monumental salary fraud” at Ajaokuta Steel Company, revealing significant corruption in staff recruitment processes
• The group calls for investigations into salary discrepancies, urging the EFCC and ICPC to compare appointment letters with actual earnings

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, has uncovered what it describes as a “monumental salary fraud” at the Ajaokuta Steel Company. The group’s national president, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, revealed this in a statement to journalists on Friday amid growing concerns over the state of the federal government-owned facility.

Mazi Okwu explained that the discovery is just one of many alleged corruption cases within the company. According to him, a preliminary investigation revealed high corruption in the staff recruitment process at Ajaokuta Steel Company.

The Ohanaeze youths stated, “In our continuous drive to expose economic sabotage and corruption in the Ajaokuta Steel Company, we focused on the company’s employment process. To our greatest shock, we found that staff members are not paid the salaries stated in their appointment letters.”

The group highlighted specific examples, including a staff member hired as “Graduate Manpower” with a promised salary of N100,000 (One hundred thousand Naira) per month but receiving only N18,000 (Eighteen thousand Naira), resulting in a deficit of N82,000 (Eighty-two thousand Naira). Another staff member, also recruited as “Graduate Manpower” on a GL 8/4 basis salary, has similarly been receiving only N18,000 per month.

The statement also raised concerns about the involvement of a third-party contractor, M/s Hamdan International Limited, in the employment and salary payments of staff at the Ajaokuta Steel Company. “Why should a third party be involved in the employment and salary payment of staff working in Ajaokuta Steel Company? Who are those taking undue advantage of hapless Nigerians?” the group asked.

The Ohanaeze youths called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to investigate the company’s recruitment and salary payment processes. They urged the anti-graft agencies to compare the staff appointment letters with their monthly earnings, as shown in their bank statements.

The youth leader emphasized that the group is committed to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and will not stand by and allow anyone to undermine the interests of the youth population. “The youths are most affected when it comes to employment issues, and this is why we won’t rest until all those behind these acts are brought to book,” Okwu added.

The group also demanded full disclosure of the partnership agreements between the company and its consortia partners. They criticized past agreements, such as the Mambilla Hydropower project, which they claim were hindered by dubious consortium partners. “The agreement on Ajaokuta Steel Company should be between the Federal Government and the consortium. No more middlemen in the process,” the statement concluded.