The Iron Rod Distributors Employers Union of Nigeria (IRSDEUN) has commended the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for its recent crackdown on steel manufacturing companies suspected of producing substandard products across Nigeria.
In a statement by the President of the union, Chief Gbenga Awoyale, the union praised the FCCPC’s diligence in addressing the issue of building collapse in the country, particularly in light of the alleged inactivity of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
It is recalled that following a court order secured by the FCCPC from an Abuja High Court, the commission launched a sting operation on several steel manufacturing plants across the country.
The court order, granted by Hon. Justice R. N. Ofili Ajumogobia in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/557/2024, authorised the FCCPC to conduct searches on Phoenix Steel Limited, African Foundries Limited, African Steel Mills Limited, Monarch Steel Mills Limited, Sunflag Nigeria Limited, Top Steel Limited, Pulkit Steel Limited, Landcraft Industries Limited, and Hongxing Steel Co. Limited, including any other steel company operating in the country.
“We applaud the FCCPC’s efforts to curb the production and distribution of substandard steel products. Their recent sting operation is a step in the right direction, and we urge them to continue their vigilance in ensuring that only quality products are available on the market.
“Having been at the forefront of advocating for quality standards in the steel industry, we identify with this move by the FCCPC as a significant step towards achieving that goal and call for working in partnership with them as industry players to achieve even greater results and save Nigerians from the risk of building collapse.
“We are open to active participation in sanitising our steel production sector. We equally warn against financial inducements that may be offered by some of these manufacturers to frustrate the noble efforts of the FCCPC,” he added.
Also, the union has raised the alarm over the use of substandard materials in construction projects in Abuja, calling on the National Assembly to take immediate action to prevent further building collapses in the capital city.
Reacting to a building collapse at Nicholas Ukachukwu’s Praco Limited Estate located in Guzape, Abuja, last Friday, where a yet-to-be-confirmed number of workers were feared dead, the union’s president, Chief Gbenga Awoyale, said the recent collapse of a building in an Abuja estate has revealed shocking evidence of substandard construction practices, including the use of wires instead of standard gauge iron rods in the concrete works.
“This is a clear case of criminal negligence and a ticking time bomb waiting to happen,” Awoyale said, adding that “we cannot afford to wait until another building collapses and claims innocent lives. The National Assembly must act now to prevent further disasters.”.
Awoyale, who said that the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has failed in its responsibility to enforce building standards, added that it allegedly allows contractors to get away with the use of substandard materials.
“The SON is the most corrupt organisation in Nigeria, and they are encouraging manufacturers to produce and distribute substandard products,” he said. “This must stop, and we demand that the government take action to hold them accountable.”.
The union also called for the demolition of all remaining structures in the estate that have been built with substandard materials, as well as a thorough investigation into the construction practices of all buildings in Abuja.
“We need to send a strong message to contractors that substandard construction will not be tolerated in this city,” Awoyale said. “We owe it to the people of Abuja to ensure that their lives and properties are safe.”.
The call comes amid growing concerns over the frequency of building collapses in Abuja, which have left many dead and injured in recent years.
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