A rift has emerged within the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria, popularly known as Ajakuta, over Borno State’s handling of metal scavenging, with the state chapter openly disowning claims by its national leadership and declaring support for Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s reform measures.
The state chapter said it welcomed the governor’s decision in good faith, signalling its willingness to work with the government to regulate the scrap trade as authorities seek to reopen the sector under a proposed roadmap.
The State Chairman of the association, Umar Usman, disclosed the position on Wednesday when he led members of the state executive on a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Committee to Review the Ban on Metal Scavenging in Borno State, Hon. Nasiru Ali Surundi, in Maiduguri.
“We welcome the Governor’s decision in good faith and dissociate ourselves from the claims made by our national body and some individuals. As law-abiding citizens, we support the state government’s efforts to regulate our activities,” Usman said.
The declaration places the Borno chapter at odds with statements attributed to the association’s national body and some individuals, although the specific claims being disputed were not detailed in the state chapter’s statement.
Usman thanked Zulum for his intervention, saying the association was prepared to cooperate with the committee to ensure that the government’s reforms benefited scrap dealers and other residents affected by the restrictions.
The development comes as the Borno government reviews restrictions on metal scavenging, an activity that provides livelihoods for dealers and collectors but can also raise security and public infrastructure concerns when stolen metals and vandalised public assets enter the scrap market.
Responding, Surundi commended the state chapter for clarifying its position and defended the government’s approach, saying the measures were intended to sanitise the business rather than undermine legitimate operators.
“The measures introduced by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum are aimed at sanitising the scrap business for the benefit of our people. We urge the association’s national leadership to verify its facts before making public claims,” he said.
Other members of the delegation backed Usman’s position and pledged to support the government’s decision.
The visit followed Zulum’s announcement barely a week earlier of a temporary lifting of the ban on scrap scavenging, alongside the development of a proposed roadmap towards lifting the restrictions more broadly.
The policy shift places the government under pressure to balance the economic interests of scrap dealers with the need to prevent the theft and vandalism of metal infrastructure, which can impose substantial costs on public institutions and disrupt essential services.
For dealers, a clear regulatory framework could provide a pathway back to legitimate business after restrictions disrupted their activities. For the government, the challenge is to ensure that any reopening does not create opportunities for criminals to profit from stolen materials.
The proposed roadmap is therefore central to the next phase of the policy, although details of the planned regulatory arrangements were not provided in the statement.
With the state chapter pledging cooperation, the immediate test for the government and industry stakeholders will be whether the review produces workable rules that protect livelihoods, distinguish legitimate dealers from illicit operators and safeguard public infrastructure.
