The Federal Ministry of Steel Development has appealed to the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN) to suspend its ongoing strike and resume negotiations in the interest of industrial harmony and the sustainable development of Nigeria’s steel sector.
   
The Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, explained that the ongoing process aimed to develop “practical, balanced and sustainable institutional measures” to address the issues raised by the scrap dealers.
   
Audu, who spoke through the Permanent Secretary, Amb. Nura Rimi, after NASWDEN presented its grievances through the National Steel Council, said the ministry recognises the seriousness and importance of the concerns and was giving them due consideration in consultation with the National Steel Council, for practical, balanced and sustainable institutional measures on the issues raised.
   
However, NASWDEN has blamed the ongoing strike on the federal government’s insensitivity, stating that the government had rebuffed past efforts to avert the strike through correspondence.

The General Secretary of Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSSAN), John Odigie, argued that since the government failed to generate billets – the raw material used in producing iron rods – most steel industries have resorted to scrap metal.
   
NASWDEN had alleged undervaluation of scrap metals, weight reductions arising from alleged manipulation of weighing scales, direct involvement of steel-producing companies in scrap-metal trading, and the importation of billets and other practices, which it said limit local scrap dealers’ participation in the steel value chain.