With rising concerns over alleged criminal activities linked to scavengers, the Niger State Government has introduced new measures to check the excesses of scrap dealers across the state.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago announced the measures during a meeting with the executives of the Niger State chapter of the Scrap and Waste Dealers Association of Nigeria in Minna.
The meeting followed earlier engagements with leaders of the association aimed at finding lasting solutions to vandalism and theft of both public and private property.
Under the new directives, persons under the age of 18 are prohibited from engaging in the scrap business, while dealers across the 25 local government areas must undergo mandatory registration with the state government.
According to Governor Bago, the registration template will require dealers to provide their residential and business addresses, Bank Verification Number (BVN), and National Identification Number (NIN) to enable effective monitoring.
He further disclosed that the state government would provide biometric devices to support the registration process.
The governor also directed association chairmen to work closely with his coordinator on scraps to ensure smooth implementation.
The Coordinator to the Governor on Scraps, Abdulsalam Sa’ad, urged scrap and waste dealers to comply with the directives, stressing that the exercise was aimed at sanitizing the system.
Presenting the association’s code of conduct to the governor, the state chairman of the National Association of Scrap and Waste Employers, Muhammad Ahmad Ali, said erring members risk suspension, dismissal, or prosecution in line with the group’s rules.
Written by Innocent Onoh