The Iron Rod and Steel Dealers Employers Union of Nigeria has sounded a fresh alarm over the ongoing production and circulation of substandard iron rods across the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, the union’s National President, Chief Gbenga Awoyale, described the proliferation of low-quality iron rods as a major public safety risk and a sign of regulatory failure.
“The persistent production and circulation of substandard iron rods in the Nigerian market remains one of the gravest threats to public safety,” Awoyale said, adding that recent incidents underscore the human cost of inaction.
The warning follows the collapse of a three-storey building in Rivers State, which reportedly left several people injured. Awoyale stressed that such incidents are not isolated, but part of a recurring pattern nationwide.
“These tragedies are not acts of fate; they are the outcomes of systemic regulatory failure and deliberate compromise,” he said, noting that official reports linking building collapses to substandard materials confirm longstanding industry concerns.
Awoyale criticized the ineffectiveness of legislative and regulatory oversight, citing repeated National Assembly efforts to summon the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) that were allegedly frustrated by non-appearance and institutional resistance.
He highlighted previous warnings from lawmakers, including Hon. Zainab Gimba, Hon. Billy Osawaru, and Hon. Yinka Aluko, who have raised alarms about substandard iron rods, but said these interventions have yet to translate into concrete action.
The union also accused some manufacturers of producing low-quality iron rods for domestic use while exporting standard-compliant products abroad. Awoyale described this dual production practice as evidence that technical capacity exists but Nigerian safety is being compromised.
Calling for urgent reforms, the union leader demanded the removal of the head of SON in Lagos State to allow for an independent investigation and urged the National Assembly to assert its constitutional oversight authority.
“This statement is issued in sorrow, not hostility,” Awoyale said, emphasizing that “a nation cannot claim progress while its buildings collapse under the weight of corruption.”
