8,000 workers fired by Anambra waste agency.

No fewer than 8,000 casual workers of the Anambra State Waste Management Company were relieved of their jobs due to coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Emeka Ajekwu, Managing Director of the company made this known on Thursday May 28, in Awka, the state capital.

Mr. Ajekwu said, "The pandemic has adversely affected our operations as we lack access to production materials."

The company in 2019, signed a waste recycling contract worth $1.1m with the State government, but has not been in operation since February due to the coronavirus pandemic. The shutdown was aimed at avoiding frontline workers from contracting the deadly Coronavirus.

"We also shutdown because most of our products come from across the state and what we produce are evacuated to other states.

"We are facing difficulties because of boundary closure. We don't have access to raw materials. In fact, we don't have access to waste products again. So it's really affecting our business and as a consequence we are compelled to downsize workers.

"We are pleading with the state government to intervene so that the sacked workers can be reinstated because they have their needs to meet and some of them earn below N500 daily," Emeka added.

"We are asking government to extend palliative measures to our workers. We have urged them all to go into agriculture and key into the agric policies of the Anambra State Government."