The leadership of organised union in steel industry, under the umbrella of National Association of Scraps and Waste Dealers and Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN)
has blamed federal government’s insensitivity for the ongoing strike.

Making this known on Monday evening, the union noted that past efforts to avert the strike by through correspondences fell on government’s deaf by refusing to yield to their demands.

In a chat with LEADERSHIP, the General Secretary of Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSSAN), Comrade John Odigie, while reiterating his indictment said, “Since government failed to generate raw materials, billet, the raw material used in producing Iron rods, most steel industries have been resorting to the use of scrapped metal.”

According to Odigie, “If government is serious making the steel industries to work in Nigeria, we would not have been relying on the scrapped metal in first place.”

As the Scrap dealers are pushed to the wall without any useful alternative, the members have to embark on strike.

“This move in embarking on strike will have a great consequences on both small and big industries that that always rely on the scrap, hence, the street industries that rely heavily on the use of scrapped metals, will be forced to shut down.”

Another affect of the strike, according to Odigie, “Will affect the construction companies in the country as all construction companies rely solely on use of iron and steel. But again, as I said earlier, government does not care if any sector survive or die, they don’t care.”

Scrap recycling has been the roving wheel moving the steel rolling forward since inability of government to revive the major steel rolling Mills in the country.

According to Odigie, “number of things showed that the Nigerian Steel Sector is being sustained through the recycling of scrap steel obtained mostly from the scrap.Nigerian steel industry is in dwindling state despite numerous iron ore deposits and other natural times, Odigie lamented.

It would be recalled that National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria recently appealed to federal government to provide them with soft loans to expand their business, based on the failure, the union started a nationwide strike since Thursday October 1, 2026.