Reviving Ajaokuta: Expert Warns Against Nigeria’s $5bn Annual ‘Corrosion Tax’

ABEOKUTA – As Nigeria grapples with a staggering infrastructure deficit and a weakening Naira, a leading authority on Materials Engineering has issued a dual-pronged wake-up call to the Federal Government: revive the Ajaokuta Steel Complex or continue paying a “silent tax” to the devastating forces of metallic corrosion.

​Delivering the 109th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Prof. Olayide Rasaq Adetunji described the dormant Ajaokuta plant as the missing heartbeat of Nigeria’s industrialization.

​The Ajaokuta Imperative

​Prof. Adetunji, a scholar in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, argued that the completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex is no longer just an economic goal but a matter of national security. According to the don, a functional steel industry is the only sustainable “panacea” for the high cost of construction, energy systems, and transportation.

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​”Resuscitating Ajaokuta would significantly boost local production, slash our heavy reliance on imports, and preserve scarce foreign exchange,” Adetunji stated.

​The lecture comes at a critical time. While the Federal Government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese partners and allocated ₦6.04 billion for personnel costs in the 2026 budget, the plant remains largely non-operational. Adetunji insists that the “strategic catalyst” provided by local steel is essential to support the newly approved Ajaokuta Economic City Free Trade Zone.

​Corrosion: The N5 Trillion “Silent Destroyer”

​In his lecture titled “Combating the Hidden Menace of Metallic Materials: Panacea for Industrial Growth and Environmental Sustainability,” Prof. Adetunji turned his attention to a more insidious threat: corrosion.

​Globally, corrosion costs are estimated to consume between 3% and 5% of a nation’s GDP. For Nigeria, this translates to trillions of Naira lost annually to the premature failure of bridges, pipelines, and industrial machinery.

​”Corrosion is a silent destroyer,” Adetunji warned. “If left unmanaged, it triggers structural collapses, chemical leaks, and environmental disasters that undermine public safety and the very sustainability of our national infrastructure.”

​A Blueprint for Resilience

​To move from a reactive to a proactive maintenance culture, the 109th Inaugural Lecturer proposed a comprehensive technical roadmap:

• ​Cathodic Protection: He urged the Federal Government to mandate sacrificial anode systems for all underground fuel tanks at filling stations and depots to prevent leakages and soil contamination.
• ​Public Procurement Reform: He called on COREN (Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria) to make corrosion-resistance audits a mandatory prerequisite for all public infrastructure contracts.
• ​Education & Awareness: Prof. Adetunji advocated for the integration of Corrosion Engineering into university curricula and urged the government to officially recognize April 24 as National Corrosion Awareness Day, aligning with the World Corrosion Organization.

​Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, praised Adetunji for his prolific research in nanotechnology and advanced materials. He noted that the University remains committed to providing the intellectual framework needed for Nigeria’s industrial transformation.