₦4m Loss Per Truckload: Scrap Dealers Begin 15-Day Strike

Scrap dealers across Nigeria have commenced a 15-day nationwide warning strike, alleging that disputes over purchase prices and weighing practices by iron-smelting companies are costing them up to ₦4 million per truckload.

The National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria announced the strike at a press conference in Kano on Thursday, saying members would stop supplying scrap metals to iron-smelting companies nationwide.

The Deputy National President of the association, Aminu Hassan Soja, said the industrial action began on Thursday, October 1, 2026, over what the association described as unfair practices by companies manufacturing steel rods.

“We call this press conference to brief the pressmen about our strike. We call on our members nationwide to embark on a warning strike for 15 days, starting from today, Thursday, October 1, 2026,” he said.

Soja said the association’s grievances included alleged arbitrary reductions in the value of scrap after delivery, disputed weighing procedures and other practices that members claimed were causing substantial financial losses.

According to him, some companies allegedly reduce the agreed value of scrap after the materials have been delivered, leaving dealers to bear the financial losses.

“They depreciate our price on a daily basis, causing a lot of losses to our customers. In one truck, we lose about three to four million naira daily,” he said.

Soja also alleged discrepancies between the quantity of scrap supplied by dealers and the weight eventually used by companies to determine payment.

He cited instances where dealers allegedly delivered one tonne of scrap but were paid for substantially less after the materials were weighed at the companies’ facilities.

“When we sell 1,000kg to them, that is 1,000kg that makes one ton. When you scale it, you find out that the kilogramme on the weight is 600kg or 700kg. The highest you can get is 750kg,” he alleged.

The association said it would enforce a total stoppage of scrap supplies to the affected companies throughout the warning strike in order to draw attention to its complaints.

Soja said the association had also been informed that international market developments and geopolitical tensions had weakened demand and created excess stocks in some markets, making cheaper imported materials available.

He questioned why such developments should be used to impose losses on local scrap dealers while reductions in raw material costs were allegedly not reflected in the prices of finished steel products.

The association also raised concerns about the quality and specifications of reinforcement bars produced by some steel manufacturers.

Soja alleged that some manufacturers tampered with the dimensions of iron rods, claiming that products sold under particular measurements could fall below the stated specifications.

He warned that such alleged practices could have implications for the construction sector, particularly where reinforcement materials are used.

The association called on the federal government to intervene in the dispute, saying the alleged practices were forcing many youths out of the scrap business.

“These companies are sending a lot of youths out of jobs. You can see, apart from agriculture, we are the highest employers of labour. We have millions of youths in the scrap industry,” he added.