From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Steel and Engineering Workers’ Union of Nigeria (SEWUN), Auto and Precision Sectors, has demanded the scrapping of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), accusing the agency of ruining the country’s automobile industry through what it described as a corrupt and failed privatization exercise.
The union, rising from its 2025 Annual Industrial Relations Seminar in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said all the automobile companies once owned by the Federal Government but handed over to private investors by the BPE have either folded up or are on life support.
According to the communiqué signed by SEWUN President General, Oyabugbe Sunday, the privatization programme was riddled with irregularities as firms were sold to individuals who lacked the funds, technical capacity and managerial skills to keep them afloat.
“It is amazing to note that all the automobile companies owned by the Federal Government and privatized by the Bureau of Public Enterprises have closed shop. The cause of this ugly situation is that BPE corruptly sold these companies to people who possessed no knowledge, technical skills nor the funds to manufacture or assemble vehicles,” the union stated.
SEWUN warned that the auto sector risked total collapse if urgent steps were not taken to reverse the situation. It therefore urged the Federal Government to undertake a comprehensive review of the privatization policy and chart a fresh course to revive the industry.
The union also took a swipe at the government over the state of the economy, blaming rising inflation on reckless public spending. “It is an established economic principle that inflation in Nigeria today is driven by government spending. Hence, we call on governments to spend less as a means to tame inflation and give relief to the Nigerian people,” the statement read.
On insecurity, SEWUN threw its weight behind the clamour for state police, arguing that decentralising policing would curb crime by more than 70 per cent. It however cautioned that safeguards must be put in place to prevent abuse by state governors.
The body also waded into the fuel subsidy debate, rejecting any attempt to restore the discredited regime but warning that citizens should not be left to bear the brunt of reforms. It called instead for a restructured, people-centred intervention that cushions the impact of economic adjustments on the poor.
SEWUN further aligned with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in its demand for the reconstitution of the boards of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and the National Pension Commission (PenCom), insisting that this was necessary to protect workers’ funds from mismanagement.
While commending its leadership for securing better welfare for members despite harsh economic realities, the union urged them to sustain pressure in the ongoing National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) negotiations for improved benefits.
The seminar, themed “Building and Deepening Trust Towards a Productive Partnership Between Union and Management,” was organised in collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Management Studies, University of Ibadan, and featured lectures, workshops and plenaries on workplace ethics, conflict management and industrial relations.
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