Nigeria: Minister Warns Against Illegal Export of Scrap Iron

Nigeria’s Mines and Steel Development Minister Alhaji Ahmed Gusau on Tuesday said the government would prosecute anybody caught exporting scrap iron. Speaking during an official visit to the African Steel Mills in Ikorodu in Lagos State, he said the law banning export of scrap iron was still in force.
He said it was also illegal for anybody to smuggle steel products into the country, warning that stiff penalties await violators of the law.

He urged all steel firms in Nigeria to study the country’s laws properly and take steps to ensure that their operations were in line with the provisions of these laws.

The government was planning to overhaul the steel industry as part of the efforts to implement the goals of Vision 2020, he said.

The chairman of the African Steel Mills, Praduman Gupta, urged the Nigerian government to check the illegal export of scrap iron.

He expressed fears that the steel industries might also go the way of the textile firms if urgent steps are not taken to arrest the situation.

He said that the industries were already facing an acute shortage of raw materials.

“Scraps will be very difficult to source and that is why we are raising alarm that government should do something immediately to assist existing investors and stakeholders to start producing iron from our domestic deposit of iron ore,” he said.

“We hope the government will take appropriate action to save the sector from folding up and save thousand of jobs.”

He also urged the government to take urgent steps to address the problems of poor infrastructure and high rate of import duties so as to attract foreign investors.

Source African Press Agency

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