The union stated that it was high time for the government to crack down on substandard steel producers following a recent building collapse in Abia State.
The Iron Rod and Steel Distributors Employers Union of Nigeria (IRSDEUN) has called for government intervention following a building collapse that claimed the lives of five construction workers in the Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State.
The union stated that it was high time for the government to crack down on substandard steel producers following a recent building collapse in Abia State.
In a statement issued by the National President of the Union, Gbenga Awoyale, it said the unabated proliferation of substandard iron rods and steel products in the market had led to a series of tragic incidents, one of which is the unfortunate one witnessed in Abia state.
The statement read, “It is disheartening that the Abia state government have now validated our positions that our market is saturated with substandard steel products, with its revelation that the preliminary reports have attributed the building collapse to the possible usage of substandard building materials and poor supervision of work at the site.
"We are tired of seeing innocent people, struggling to make ends meet lose their lives due to the greed and negligence of substandard steel producers. The government must demonstrate true empathy and take concrete steps to address this issue once and for all."
It could be recalled that the union recently alleged complicity between some officials of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) and substandard steel producers, which has undermined the integrity of the industry and compromised the safety of consumers and called for the dissolution of the current management of SON and a thorough investigation into the matter.
The union reemphasised that a particular steel production company, which is one of the biggest in Nigeria owned by foreigners made a former Director General of SON its Executive DIrector and consequently, leveraging on his influence to perpetrate substandard production unchecked.
“We make bold to say that the government is not taking Nigerians’ lives previously. We exposed how a steel production factory was caught with substandard products by SON taskforce. Unfortunately, it was still the taskforce Chairman who wasn’t privy to the operation that was defending the suspected company on national dailies, simply because his erstwhile boss at SON heads the company. It is unacceptable!
“Some of these companies parented by African Steel mill include Top Steel Company, African Foundaries limited and Inner galaxy steel. Because they were not convicted, smaller companies like Bao-Yao and Hongxing steel companies are getting emboldened to also engage in substandard production.
“The substandard goods that were supposed to be melted and used to reproduce standard gauge were left to be circulated. Meanwhile, the SON claimed they were undergoing laboratory test but they couldn’t share any result to the public. Where is operational transparency and accountability?”, he queried.
"The time for talk is over. "We need governmental actions, and we need it now. The lives of innocent Nigerians depend on it and if it truly matter to our government, the time to act is now. I wept seeing lifeless body of innocent Nigerians brought out of the building. A careful observation of the collapsed building cast shows that it was wires they used in lieu of standard gauge steel. That’s callous!”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that a building collapse at Obingwu in Ukwa West local government area of Abia State killed five workers, the Abia State government has confirmed.
Confirming the incident on Monday, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, disclosed that the state had declared a manhunt for the building contractor.
Kanu, who stated this in a statement regretted that the contractor has not been seen after the incident, even as he noted that the state upon receiving information on the incident which happened last week, mobilised all emergency services that expeditiously mobilised evacuation facilities to the scene of the incident.
He noted that members of Obingwu community also joined in the rescue operation, but regretted that all the five workers trapped were brought out dead.
“Most unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the rescue teams, all five persons trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building were brought out dead."
Kanu said preliminary reports have attributed the building collapse to the possible usage of substandard building materials and poor supervision of work at the site.
“The Abia State government has ordered a full-scale investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the building collapse. Also, the Mayor of Ukwa West is working with the Nigeria Police in the local government to affect the arrest of the building contractor who is yet to be seen since the incident took place as his arrest will enhance the process of the investigations,” the statement indicated.
He commiserating with the members of the bereaved families.
The commissioner, however, advised those in the building industry to always adhere to the best practices in terms of quality of materials and supervision in their building activities.