The Borno State chapter of the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (AJAKUTA) has expressed support for the state government’s handling of metal scavenging, distancing itself from statements attributed to the association’s national leadership.
According to a report by Northern Nigeria Hub, state chairman Umar Usman announced the chapter’s position on Wednesday during a visit to Nasiru Ali Surundi, head of the committee reviewing the ban on metal scavenging, in Maiduguri.
Usman said the chapter was willing to work with the government to regulate scrap trading, adding that the policy review offered an opportunity for members to resume their livelihoods under an organised framework. He also thanked Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for his intervention.
Surundi said the government’s measures were intended to address concerns surrounding the scrap trade and protect the interests of dealers and the public. He urged the association’s national leadership to verify information before making public statements about the state government’s decisions.
Other executives who accompanied Usman endorsed the chapter’s position and pledged cooperation with the committee.
The engagement follows Zulum’s recent announcement of a temporary lifting of the restriction on scrap scavenging and the development of a roadmap to guide the government’s next steps.
