THE CLASSIC LIES, FALSEHOODS, BLACKMAIL AND ATTEMPT TO DEMARKET INNER GALAXY STEEL COMPANY LTD.
In the past few days, social media has been awash with cooked up, fabricated falsehoods and lies about the Inner Galaxy Steel Company Group with their associated companies located in Obehie, Ukwa West LGA, Abia State. The fabricated falsehoods posted by unknown persons on social media quickly went viral and has led to public outcry. Although, as at today, no one has written any formal petition or complaint against the Company to any authority in Nigeria, the Abia State Government felt compelled by the public outcry and agitation fed by unverified allegations, to send a fact-finding team to the company premises yesterday morning, Thursday the 13th day of August, 2020. In the afternoon of the same yesterday, the Federal Government also sent another inter-agency investigation team led by the FCCPC to the Company premises to find out what is going on there. Everyone is looking forward to their reports.
When I first read the allegations, I had to rub my eyes several times because this is a Company I know very well and have visited many times for a number of diverse reasons. This company is arguably the biggest in the entire South East and their premises is in fact a mini-City of its own.
I went back there yesterday to make enquiries having read these fantastic stories on the internet and I happen to have been on the premises when the Federal and State investigation teams arrived separately.
One thing that has become evident by these events is that Nigerians love to believe the very worst of every other person, individual or corporate. They love rumors and gossips. Otherwise, anyone who takes a deep breath and actually examines those allegations, THINKS ABOUT THE CLAIMS, will realize even without more, that it is not possible. The way Nigerians read something on social media, written by unknown persons and immediately accept it as Gospel truth, share and spread it until it goes viral, is worrying. Most of us have lost the capacity for critical thinking and taking a second look at a story to see whether it even makes sense on the face of it.
Now what are the allegations? They are a mishmash but I will debunk the notable ones.
It is alleged that Inner Galaxy held Nigerian workers in slavery on their premises, AGAINST THEIR WILL and in inhuman conditions. This is of course totally false. What I gathered from my investigation is that when Covid-19 started early this year, and factories in some other parts of the world were shut down because they became “super-spreaders” of the virus, Inner Galaxy took proactive steps to curtail spread of the virus in its premises. The first issue was that of the closure of interstate borders. This company is located on the border between Rivers and Abia States and many of the workers come to work from Rivers State, mainly living in Obigbo. Those workers, numbering in hundreds were at risk of not being able to come to work because the Rivers’ State borders were about to be closed. Also, the company imposed very rigorous COVID-19 safety protocols within the premises of the company, issuing one mask every day to each worker and ensuring they are worn properly, providing over 55 hand-washing/sanitizer stations in the premises, etc, but the challenge was that when staff leave and go home where those protocols are not in place, they could contract the virus, bring it to the complex and spread it.
Again, the company was at this time working at less than half-capacity as the closure of inter-state borders meant that many suppliers and other customers vital to the operations of the company could not have access. The company called a meeting of the staff and asked for those willing to stay in the company premises until the Covid-19 crises is over or reduced. Those who opted to do so will be housed in temporary accommodation to be hastily set up while a much better accommodation will be built for future purposes. Two buildings for temporary accommodations are being constructed as we speak; one has reached 90% completion while the second is at 65% completion.
Those workers who said they could not stay away from their families for an indeterminate period were furloughed in accordance with best practices, to be reabsorbed as soon as the COVID-19 crises is over and operations return to normal BUT ALL OF THEM are being paid N15K (fifteen thousand naira) a month each while at home and not working. Those who opted to remain in the premises are being paid substantial bonuses in addition to their full salaries and many have already left the temporary, hastily arranged accommodation back to their homes, as things have started normalizing but with strict instructions to strictly abide by Covid-19 safety protocols so as not to bring the virus to the complex from home.
Furthermore, on the issue of Nigerians being held on the company premises against their will, a visit to the Inner Galaxy City will show that it is not even possible. This company was established in Abia in 2012. In that time there has never been any complaint by anyone about its labor practices; even now, there is no formal complaint; only rumors and gossips on Internet. The complex is massive and a mini-City. While there are over 2000 workers in the employment of the company, there are less than 50 Chinese employed there; how can these number of Chinese hold hundred of workers against their will? Which number of security men can intimidate these number of workers to the extent alleged? Let us use our brains and think. The Complex does not even have a gate. Anyone can go there and verify.
The accusations of physical abuse of Nigerians by Nigerian security men attached to the company is ridiculous. Nigerians of course don’t trust their Policemen and soldiers but this is a stretch. There is no such thing from my enquiries.
At any given time, over 150 trailers are parked in the premises to transport the steel, iron and other products produced there or to supply raw materials & the transportation sector alone has scores of independent drivers, conductors, mechanics, vulcanizers, etc, etc. from all over the country.
There are hundreds of suppliers, customers, and other independent or semi-independent businesses on the premises such as restaurants, shops, etc to cater for people who come from all over the country for one thing or the other. You will find Hausas, Yorubas and all other ethnicities there. Is it possible that these hundreds of other Nigerians who are not staff of the company and are independent will also compromise and keep quiet over the past several years and not say a word when they see their compatriots being turned into slaves?
The management of the Company are aghast at this allegations because they pride themselves as one of the highest paying companies in Nigeria with first class staff welfare packages and top Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provisions. Some of the pictures below show some of the activities staff of the company engage in, organized and paid for by the management; if this is the way slaves are treated, then I will love to be a slave. Other pictures show the CSR activities for Host communities, company premises and operations.

Austin Ndidi Iroegbu

How much did they pay you for this , show the world your prove. Someone was abused physicaly, another man leg was amputated without gratitude . I thought Racism is all about white against black, but worst racism have ever encounter black against black on behalf of their white master. NOT EVERY BLACK MAN IS YOUR BROTHER

This is probably a poor attempt at damage control.

Online Reputation Management....

The OP is like the black man we see in historical movies about racism who has become expert at making other black slaves obey the white master, and in so doing, he becomes a higher rated slave than the others but still a slave nonetheless.

These sets of slaves called slave drivers are sometimes even worse than the white man.

You op are one idiotic slave driver. If you continue this your image laundering venture that continues to impoverish Nigerians an unexpected steel will send you out of this world

When people have nothing upstairs and are too intellectually deficit to engage in a proper conversation, they resort to name-calling, insults and cursing.
Many of you live on gossips and rumors and once you hear an allegation, you believe it, swear by it and ready to kill for it even as you have not bothered to interrogate or verify it.
Wisdom dictates that there are always two sides to every story and the wise will always tarry, examine the allegations and the defence again and not just rush to take sides.
If I may ask, have you worked in the company?
Do you know anyone who works there?.
Are you one of those who believe that every Chinese is evil and a criminal and so an allegation against a Chinese by someone on Twitter, whose name, identity or motive is not known should be accepted as the GOSPEL TRUTH.
Some of you invite karma on your heads because one day someone will make false allegations against you; you will cry and proclaim your innocence but no one will bother to listen to you.
One day someone somewhere will label you a 419er or Yahoo-Yahoo boy or drug pusher with no evidence other than that you are a Nigerian and all Nigerians are criminals.
Nonsense

LandMann:
The OP is like the black man we see in historical movies about racism who has become expert at making other black slaves obey the white master, and in so doing, he becomes a higher rated slave than the others but still a slave nonetheless.

These sets of slaves are sometimes even was than the white man.

You op are one idiotic slave driver. If you continue this your image laundering venture that continues to impoverish Nigerians an unexpected steel will send you out of this world

Not every body is a wretched pauper like you who has to be paid before expressing an opinion. The cheap riposte by idiots on social media these days is “how much were you paid” once some body canvasses an opinion or makes a post you don’t agree with.
You are so empty upstairs that you cannot even come up with an original response other than the old worn out how much were you paid.
Once you can afford N50K data, you brainless twats start making a nuisance of yourselves on social media

paqman:
How much did they pay you for this , show the world your prove. Someone was abused physicaly, another man leg was amputated without gratitude . I thought Racism is all about white against black, but worst racism have ever encounter black against black on behalf of their white master. NOT EVERY BLACK MAN IS YOUR BROTHER

Good day everyone!
My name is James, I work in the rolling mill department of Inner Galaxy Steel Co. Ltd and I want to clarify somethings here about the accusations meted out to the company and based on what I have heard and seen all the accusations are jst FALSE!
The company is treating us in a good way that we are all benefiting. Without this company, some of us would have been pauper begging in the street with our families, some would be thinking of taking arms and I believe while others with little faith would have ended their lives.
These Chinese guys gave us the means of providing for our families, they gave us what we were seeking for.
They never forced anyone to live within company premises as per what I saw from one media. It's just a matter of choice, some of my colleagues still live outside with their families and are been paid.
Outside the salaries, we do get incentives depending on our working time.

Jst ask yourself this; how many job opportunities can you provide?
One good thing about these Chinese guys is that they don't exhibit the act of if u know someone within before you are given a job
I don't see any reason you guys should be dragging the name of the company to the mud

Lol, all the investigator said was true about the company. This whitewash by you will not sell.