Business
Union Laments Labour Law Violations By Construction Firms
Managing Director, Bank of Agriculture, Prof Danbala Danju, (left) welcoming the team leader, Word Bank, Mr Muli Musinga, to the Bank of Agriculture headquarters in Kaduna on Tuesday.
The leadership of the
National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) has lamented the incessant violation of labour laws of the country by foreign construction firms operating in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by the union on Monday and signed by its National President, Comrade Amechi Asgwuni he announced the attitude of the contruction firms of undermining the rights of the workers by sheer neglect of respecting the industrial tool of negotiation as stipulated in the country’s extant labour law.
Asgwuni said that the union has called for a peaceful negotiation with their various employers in the construction sector for the review of the workers salary which is usually done every two years at the National Joint Industrial Consultative (NJIC) meeting but the employers have refused to honour such meeting, stressing that the union has no alternative than to down tool until the employers respect the rights of the workers.
The union boss said that the employers in the construction sector want to scrap the review of workers salary which is done every two years, insisting that such policy is very obnoxious and unacceptable to the union as it clearly violates the rights of the workers in the sector.
He said that all the sectors in the economy have NJIC and therefore construction sector cannot be an exception adding that all the entire workers in the construction sector are involved in the struggle for better.
The union president said that the union has already lost over 100,000 of its members as result of redundancy in the sector, adding that the union leadership supported the employers.
Asqwuni called on the federal Ministry of Labour and Employment not to support the foreign firms operating in the construction sector against Nigerians workers rights, adding that the ministry must act appropriately and compel the employers negotiate with the workers over their entitlements.
In the same vein the Rivers State chairman of the union Comrade Temple Melford has called on the union members to remain calm as the union leadership would never compromise on the welfare of the union members.
Melford stated this while speaking to The Tide at the union office in Port Harcourt on Monday, explaining that the entire construction workers are in support of the union leadership for the workers to down tools until the employers review the workers salary and respect the country labour laws.
He reiterated the determination of the union members to ensure that the country extant labour laws are strictly adhered to by the foreign firms in the construction sector.
Philip Okparaji
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor