National Union of Scrap and Waste pickers of Nigeria (NUSWON) has urged the government to protect its members from assaults and being hounded like criminals.
President of NUSWON, Friday Oku, made the appeal in his speech during the two-day first National Educational Conference and the inauguration of northern leadership of NUSWON held in Abuja at the weekend.
Daily Trust reports that the waste pickers have faced increased stigmatisation over the ban on their activities, especially in Lagos State.
Recently, the waste pickers in Lagos unveiled a website to register all waste pickers in the state as part of the drive to get on board the waste management value chain in the state.
Oku said it was high time the government recognised that some Nigerians were working at the lowest rung of the waste and recycling ladder, and without their contributions, it might be impossible for the recycling industry to operate optimally.
He stated that the union was constantly working to sanitise its membership and weed out anyone with criminal tendencies.
Oku while congratulating the newly elected northern leaders of the union from the North West, North East and North Central, urged them to work at promoting the interest of the union.
Alhaji Usman Bakawu from Adamawa State emerged as the interim vice president of the union.
The NUSWON national officers later paid a courtesy visit on the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, who assured of the support to register the union under the Trade Union Act.
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