The senator who lamented the inability of the federal government to expedite the completion of the steel said the abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Complex had the potential of providing employment to over 50,000 Nigerians if resuscitated.

Adeyemi spoke on Thursday in Abuja while addressing journalists at the public hearing on his rent bill slated for March 30.

He said, “It Is saddening that a potential game-changer for the nation’s monolithic economy which started in 1980s, is still at the stage of abandonment. If the Federal Government is not ready to see to its completion and functionality, it should be handed over to Kogi State which I believe will do the needful the way the Kaduna State Government built an iron ore firm recently with potential for thousands of jobs creation for the youth and quantum wealth generation for the State.The President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is no doubt, trying, as far as building of infrastructures are concerned but such legacies without completion of Ajaokuta and provision of functions refineries; will not make much impacts economically.”

He also urged the federal government to spend the current gains being made from crude oil sales at the International market which is above $100 per barrel, to fix the nation’s comatose oil refineries or build new ones.

Adeyemi said, “proceeds from the oil windfall arising from the ongoing Russia / Ukraine war should be channeled into fixing the nation’s comatose refineries or to outrightly build new ones.To me, it is inexplicable and shameful for a nation that is producing crude oil in large volumes on daily basis to be importing refined ones. It is like somebody who has a functional borehole in his or her compound and yet buys water from other sources.Serious bleeding the shameful arrangement is causing the nation’s economy must be stopped. efineries must be made functional or new ones put in place to prevent huge capital flight bleeding the nation’s economy from refined oil importation,”

The panel upheld the judgment delivered on June 10, 2020, by the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, which sat in Abuja and affirmed the declaration of Adeyemi as the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The appellate court, which struck out Adeyemi’s preliminary objection, awarded N50, 000 cost against Melaye and in favour of the respondents.

The lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District said this while contributing to “a bill for an Act to establish the National Electoral Offences Commission and for Other Related matters”.

Adeyemi said “Mr. President, when people of questionable character become leaders, then what is the future of that country. In fact, I am compelled to say, military era is better than Nigeria’s democracy currently. When you talk about maladministration and misappropriation of public funds, it emanates from people who have criminal records, people who have no background were elected or forced themselves into power. Mr. President, this is one of the best bills that we must all support. We are living witnesses to bad governance and bad representation in parliament. We must support this bill to bring good people into power, not charlatans, not ragamuffin.
“People who have criminal records come to the National Assembly to make laws.”

Dino Melaye was sacked as the senator representing the Kogi West Senatorial district by a three-man panel of the Tribunal led by Justice Anthony Chijioke. The tribunal also ordered a fresh election.

Reacting to this, Dino called the All Progressives Congress, Smart Adeyemi as his ‘political wife’, Dino who contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party stated that the minority judgement was delivered by the chairman of the panel and he described it as “exclusive and wonderful”.

He said “I want to assure you that Smart Adeyemi is my political wife; I defeated him in 2015, I defeated him in 2019 and any day any time, he is my political wife. I want to say that I cannot be distracted and I will not be distracted. My name is Daniel; I will not fall … I am focused on my governorship ambition and we will get it. The only time there will be election for the seat of the Senate in Kogi West is after I am sworn in as the governor of Kogi State. That will necessitate vacancy but before then, there will be no by-election as a result of attempted robbery that is going on right now. Spiritually we are already in the court of appeal; physically we will be there on Monday. The only election that will be conducted is the governorship election that I will win. My mandate is secured, my mandate is guaranteed.”