The federal government has sealed a manufacturing company, Metal Nigeria Limited located at Gbara Community in Sagamu local government area of Ogun state over non-compliance with safety and the health of it’s workers.
The Hon. Minister for State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha who stormed the factory on Friday, expressed her displeasure on the condition she met the workers of the factory.
Onyejeocha, while ordering the evacuation of the workers and the closure of the factory, disclosed that the company disregarded the warning given to them by the personnel of the ministry, saying that the environment is not conducive for the workers, and there is no provision of working kits that can safeguard them from health hazard.
She expressed that the ministry takes the safety and health of Nigerian workers as an importance which means if they cannot adapt to the rules, they are free to vacate, stressing that the government only want the factory to prioritize the safety and health of its workers.
“We have gotten a lot of petition against this factory. I asked the director of OSH to commence the investigation and they came back with the report and i asked them to warn the people to clean up their premises and should also ensure safety compliance according to law.
“The environment should be secure and the lead they expose to should be handled professionally so that it will not cause health hazard on the workers.
“When the report came back that they have not done anything, that is why i came here to see it by myself and what i saw is worse than what they told me. The whole workers are not fully kitted.
“As ministry of labour and employment, it is part of our duty to make sure that our worker are safe and should work in safety environment. We are saying that this can’t continue. If you don’t want to follow the law and comply with safety, then you leave.
“If they think they know people that will tell them to continue, I am telling them that with President Tinubu, it is different. In other place where they produce like this, they will be properly kitted. We are prohibiting this place until they kit their staff.
“We are not asking for anything, what we are saying is that go and do proper thing, clean your environment, kit your workers and make sure that the safety standard is upheld.
“These people are our brothers and sisters. Is it because of how the country is, that is making you humiliating them and keeping them in unsafe work practices. Safety of Nigerians workers is paramount to us in the ministry of labour and employment”, she said
Other senior officer who accompanied the Minister, are the Controller of Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in the state, Nnamdi Enuah; the head of department of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), Mrs. Lauretta Adogwu, among others.
