Following the spate of vandalism of railway tracks, a major iron scrap collector, Yongxing Steel Company Ltd, has said it only collects waste iron scraps, expressing regrets over the activities of vandals.
A senior official of the company, who asked not to be named, said there was some mix up in the naming of the company as it was committed to the growth of the Nigerian economy and development through lawful means.
The official further said that Yongxing Steel, which is located along the Lokoja-Abuja Expressway in Gwagwalada, Abuja, “is a legitimate purchasing place that does not accept stolen or illegal waste materials.
“All the materials we buy are waste and discarded. Most of our iron scraps are household waste materials, while a small amount or materials are collected from abandoned large mechanical equipment, factories or government approved sales and are usually supplied by local suppliers.”
According to the official, a few waste railway tracks and slippers were received by the company following the sighting of a document by the Nigerian Railway Corporation dated October 14, 2020, directing the Benue state commissioner of police to assist in the recovery of a portion of the low-level track which passes through Jukun Community in Makurdi and the evacuation of the said materials.
The company used the occasion to reel out some of its corporate social responsibility to its host communities especially during the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown in Nigeria.
The company said it donated over 350 protective masks, 10, 000 pairs of medical rubber gloves, 18, 000 test papers as well as donation of disinfectants, rice flour and other basic essentials.
It estimated that it committed over N200 million during the period and could not be party to any economic sabotage.
