KANO — The National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN) has officially commenced a 15-day nationwide warning strike, ordering a total cut-off of scrap metal supplies to iron-smelting and steel manufacturing companies across the country.
The industrial action, which took effect on Thursday, October 1, 2026, stems from unannounced price slashes, arbitrary weight scale manipulation, and unauthorized financial deductions imposed by major steel manufacturers on delivered raw materials.
Speaking on behalf of the association, Deputy National President Alhaji Aminu Hassan-Soja disclosed that sudden price reductions—sometimes enacted after dealers have already bought and transported goods—have caused individual losses ranging between $\text{N}3\text{ million}$ and $\text{N}6\text{ million}$ per truckload.
NASWDEN further protested additional unfair practices by foreign-owned smelting firms, citing arbitrary deductions of up to 5% under the guise of “extra dust” and scale tampering that reduces 1,000kg metric ton deliveries to as low as 600kg on official readouts.
Warning that the 15-day supply suspension will escalate into an indefinite strike if reconciliation talks fail, the association called on the Federal Government and regulatory bodies to intervene urgently to protect millions of local jobs in the recycling and steel production supply chain.
