By Paul Nwosu
The scraggy fellows are all over the place screaming “Iron Kwandem” with their quaint accent.
Their mission is ostensibly to buy Condemned Iron or disused metal objects from households, workshops/business premises or anybody who can freely offer their stock-in-trade (scrap metals). In the local parlance, they are called “ndi kpakaram”. But what used to be simple and hassle-free transactions with itinerant seemingly harmless cart pushers have ended up becoming pests to the society.
The nuisance value of the ubiquitous “Iron Kwandem” scavengers can no longer be tolerated for they now constitute a pain in the neck of society as their activities are adversely affecting the economy of the state and the country at large.
They steal the metal coverings of gutters, the iron medians on the highways and the steel railings on the sides of the motorways.
They have become so brazen in dismantling and wrecking public utilities such that you begin to wonder if they have special licenses to do what they are doing because they dare where nobody with conscience will risk.
They removed and carted away most of the iron components of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka fence facing the ever busy Enugu-Awka expressway.
Shortly after the celebrated second Niger Bridge was commissioned, side-bars, beams and the heavy steel sheets interlocking segments of the bridge were yanked off by these devil-may-care “Iron Kwandem” scavengers.
Even the poles bearing the solar streetlights have been randomly and willfully vandalized by these scavengers for illicit profit.
Individual’s generators and vehicle body parts are not spared. A story was told about how a family returned from the village after an end-of-year vacation to discover that their beautiful wrought iron gate had been neatly dismantled and removed.
No responsible government will stand by and watch this sheer act of lawlessness persist.
Anambra State Government has therefore prohibited the operations of the Condemned Iron scavengers as their activities are tantamount to the worst kind of robbery.
They cannot be allowed to continue in the evil act of stealing private and public metal objects across board.
Anybody doing business with them will be equally arrested and prosecuted because it amounts to receiving stolen property.
Ndi-Anambra should see it as a patriotic duty to report the activities of the Condemned Iron scavengers to SASA or OCHA Brigade for immediate arrest and prosecution.
The government has of course delineated the difference between the illegal Condemned Iron scavengers and the traders doing legitimate scrap metal business.
Government intends to henceforth duly register the scrap metal dealers so that they can continue their contribution to the economy of the state without hindrances.
The properly constituted scrap metal dealers are advised to go to the Ministry of Environment for re-certification.
Paul Nwosu, PhD, is Commissioner for Information, Anambra State