NATIONAL STEEL COUNCIL ACT

(1) There is hereby established a body to be known as the National Steel Council (in this Act referred to as "the Council"), which shall have the functions assigned to it by this Act.
(2) The Council shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and may sue or be sued in its corporate name.

(1) The Council shall consist of a chairman, to be appointed by the President, on the advice of the Minister and the following other members, that is-
(a) one representative each of the following Federal Ministries-
(i) Industry;
(ii) Finance; and
(iii) Power and Steel;
(b) the chairman of the board of directors of the companies specified in subsection (2) of this section, being companies set up by the Federal Government-
(i) to mine iron ore, cooking coal and related minerals, necessary for the production of steel; or
(ii) to produce steel or by-products thereof;
(c) the Executive Secretary; and
(d) four persons to be appointed by the Minister, being persons who by reason of their ability, experience or specialised knowledge of the steel industry or of professional or business attainments, are in his opinion, capable of making useful contributions to the work of the Council.
(2) The companies referred to in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section are as follows, that is to say-
(a) the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited;
(b) the Delta Steel Company Limited;
(c) the Batagarawa Steel Company Limited;
(d) the Jos Steel Company Limited;
(e) the Oshogbo Steel Company Limited; and
(f) the Associated Ores Mining Company Limited,
and the Minister may, by order published in the Federal Gazette, add to, delete from or otherwise amend the foregoing list of companies and references to companies in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section shall be construed accordingly.
(3) Subject to subsection (4) of this section, a person appointed as a member of the Council (not being an ex-officio member), shall hold office for three years and shall be eligible for reappointment for one further period of three years.
(4) The appointing authority may terminate the appointment of a member (not being an ex officio member), on grounds of misbehaviour or inability to discharge the duties of his office, by reason of physical or mental incapacity.
(5) The supplementary provisions contained in the First Schedule of this Act shall have effect with respect to the proceedings of the Council and the other matters therein mentioned. (First schedule)

The Council shall have responsibility for the following, that is-(a) central planning for the steel industry;
(b) research and development for the steel industry, including research and development of the technology and other aspects of iron and steel production and the utilisation of the products and by-products of iron and steel plants;
(c) co-ordination of exploration for iron ore, cooking coal, limestone, dolomite, refractory clay and other minerals related to iron and steel production in co-operation with the Federal Ministry of Power and Steel, the Nigerian Coal Corporation and the Nigerian Mining Corporation;
(d) training of Nigerians in all aspects of the iron and steel industry and related fields and the deployment of senior Nigerian management staff and trainees to steel plants and other sectors of the industry;
(e) research into the development and manufacture of equipment to be used for the purpose of and in relation to basic engineering in the steel industry;
(f) the establishment of facilities and the carrying out of tests and operations for ascertaining and improving the qualities and performance of the materials and processes for iron and steel production, including iron and steel products;
(g) advising the Federal Government on the establishment in Nigeria by that Government of additional iron and steel plants and generally on the formulation of policies relating to the development of the iron and steel industry and related industries in Nigeria;
(h) assisting the steel plants in fixing the prices of their finished products and in purchasing raw materials required by them for steel production and, for this purpose, the collection of information on the supply and demand situation and comparative pricing of iron and steel products, as between Nigeria and other countries; and
(i) carrying on such other activities as may be conducive to the discharge of the functions vested on the Council under or pursuant to this Act.

Subject to this Act, the Minister may give to the Council directions of a general character or relating generally to particular matters (but not to any individual person or case), with regard to the exercise by the Council of its functions under this Act, and it shall be the duty of the Council to comply with the directions.

(1) There shall be appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the Minister, an Executive Secretary of the Council, who shall be the chief executive officer of the Council and shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Council and the day-to-day running of the affairs of the Council.
(2) The Council may appoint such other persons as it may determine as employees of the Council to assist the Executive Secretary in the discharge of his duties.
(3) The Council may, subject to such conditions as it may think fit, delegate any of its powers relating to the appointment of, or the exercise of disciplinary control (including dismissal) over, its employees to the Executive Secretary or any other employee of the Council.

(1) The Federal Civil Service Commission may, by order published in the Federal Gazette, declare the office of the Executive Secretary or of any other employee of the Council to be a pensionable office for the purposes of the Pensions Act. (Cap. P4.)
(2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4) of this section, the Pensions Act shall, in its application by virtue of subsection (1) of this section to any office, have effect as if the office were in the public service of the Federation within the meaning of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. (Cap. C23.)
(3) For the purposes of the application of the provisions of the Pensions Act and in accordance with this section-
(a) section 21 of that Act shall have effect as if for the references to that Minister, there were substituted references to the Council; and
(b) the power under subsection 4(2) of that Act shall be exercisable by the Council and not by any other authority.
(4) Nothing in the foregoing provisions shall prevent the appointment of a person to any office on terms which preclude the granting of a pension or gratuity in respect of service in that office.

(1) The Council shall establish and maintain a fund from which shall be defrayed all expenditure incurred by the Council.
(2) There shall be paid or credited to the fund established in pursuance of this section-
(a) such moneys as may be granted in each financial year to the Council by the Federal Government;
(b) all fees and charges for services rendered by the Council; and
(c) all other sums accruing to the Council from any other source.

(1) The Council shall cause to be prepared, not later than 31 October in each year, an estimate of the expenditure and income of the Council during the next succeeding financial year and when so prepared, it shall be submitted to the Minister for approval.
(2) The Council shall keep proper accounts and proper records in relation thereto and the accounts shall be audited, as soon as may be, after the end of each financial year by auditors appointed from the list and in accordance with the guidelines supplied by the Auditor-General for the Federation and the fees of the auditors and the expenses of the audit generally, shall be paid from the funds of the Council.

(1) The Nigeria Steel Development Authority, established under the Nigeria Steel Development Authority Act, 1971 is hereby dissolved and the said Act is hereby repealed and the Nigeria Steel Development Authority (Amendment) Act 1974, is hereby consequentially repealed. (1971 No. 19. 1974 No. 41.)
(2) The transitional and savings provisions in the Second Schedule to this Act, shall have effect in relation to the employees, assets and liabilities of the Authority dissolved under this section and the other matters mentioned therein, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act or any other enactment. (Second schedule)

The Council shall prepare and submit to the Minister not later than 30 June in each financial year, a report in such form as the Minister may direct on the activities of the Council during the immediately preceding financial year and the Council shall include in such a report a copy of its audited accounts for that year and auditors' report thereon.

The President may make regulations generally for carrying into effect the provisions of this Act and the due administration thereof.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
"chairman" means the chairman of the Council;
"Council" means the National Steel Council, established pursuant to section 1 to this Act;
"Executive Secretary" means the Executive Secretary of the Council, appointed pursuant to section 5 of this Act;
"member" means any member of the Council and includes the chairman;
"Minister" means the Minister charged with responsibility for steel.

This Act may be cited as the National Steel Council Act.