Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has directed all scrap and waste dealers across the state’s 25 local government areas to register with the government through the office of his coordinator on scrap.
The governor gave this directive during a meeting with the leaders of the Niger State chapter of the Scrap and Waste Dealers Association, at the Government House, Minna, saying the move is aimed at sanitising the trade and curbing vandalism in the state.
The meeting was a follow-up to his previous discussion with the group on finding a lasting solution to the persistent vandalism of structures and theft of public and private property across the state.
According to him, the registration template will require members to provide their residential and business addresses, Bank Verification Number, BVN, and National Identity Number, NIN, to ensure effective monitoring.
Bago explained that the state government will support them with biometric devices to assist in the registration process, maintaining that registration is necessary to provide them with a licence if they are to continue operating in the state.
He warned, “anybody less than 18 years old is prohibited from picking scraps in the state. Anyone found with an item belonging to the public or private will be dealt with decisively.
The last round of the meeting is scheduled for Thursday, with the Secretary to the State Government, Alh. Usman Abubakar, where he is expected to inaugurate the elected chairmen of the scrap and waste dealers across the 25 local government areas of the state.
The governor further stated that the chairmen will work directly with his coordinator on scrap, Abdusallam Sa’ad, in order to curb the rising cases of vandalism of public and private infrastructure.
Sa’ad, who appealed to the scrap and waste dealers to always be law-abiding, explained that the registration of scrap dealers in the state, as directed by the state governor, will help sanitise the members and the business. He stated that his office will provide the forms while the registration fees will be paid into a government account.
The chairman of the National Association of Scrap and Waste Employers, Niger State Chapter, Muhammad Ahmad Ali, read out the rules and regulations of the association, which include screening all existing and intending members; requiring members to provide a guarantor and visible means of identification; and imposing strict punishment for members involved in stealing or buying stolen items, among other measures.
