The Federal Government has unveiled plans to regulate Nigeria’s scrap metal industry as part of efforts to curb infrastructure vandalism and strengthen the country’s industrial capacity.
The initiative is being pursued through the proposed Scrap Metal (Collection, Trading, Recycling and Regulation) Regulations, 2026.
The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, disclosed this during a two-day stakeholders’ engagement held between November 9 and 10, 2026, to validate the draft regulations.
Represented by the Director of Metallurgical Raw Material Development and Investment Promotion, Ime Eprikpo, the minister said the scrap metal sector remained critical to domestic steel production, job creation and economic diversification but had been undermined by poor regulation, illegal trading and environmental hazards.
Audu expressed concern over the increasing theft of metallic infrastructure, including electrical cables, railway tracks and manhole covers, noting that such activities disrupt public services, threaten public safety and increase government maintenance costs.
He said the proposed regulations would introduce stricter supplier identification, verification of material sources and proper transaction records, while the ministry would strengthen collaboration with security agencies to track and prosecute dealers in stolen metallic materials.
The minister, however, assured small-scale traders and independent collectors that the government’s intention was not to undermine legitimate businesses but to integrate informal operators into a transparent and properly regulated system.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, represented by Christopher T. Wanje, said effective regulation of the sector was essential to achieving industrialisation under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The National President of the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria, Comrade Pastor (Engr.) Ogbu Luke Uchechukwu, described the initiative as a landmark development that would promote a structured and economically viable waste economy.
Also speaking, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), represented by Deputy Director Engr. Walter Okoye, commended the proposed framework, stressing the need to address environmental and public health risks associated with unregulated scrap metal activities.
