Workers at the African Natural Resources and Mines Limited (ANRML), an Indian-owned iron ore mining and processing plant located in Gujeni village, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have accused the company of inhumane treatment, discrimination, and using the Nigerian Army to intimidate staff members who staged a peaceful protest demanding better working conditions.
The protests, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday, were organised by workers who claim they are being treated like “slaves in their own country” by Indian expatriates managing the company.
Sources told SaharaReporters that the management called the military to disperse the protesting workers instead of addressing their demands.
A worker who spoke under anonymity due to fear of victimisation said the protest on Wednesday began peacefully at around 6 a.m.
“We started a peaceful protest yesterday (Wednesday) morning at around 6 a.m. to demand better pay and healthcare. We are asking the company to implement the new minimum wage and improve our conditions,” the worker said.
“We walk 30 kilometres daily to get here. We work six days a week. Meanwhile, foreign workers—many with just diploma certificates—earn between N1.5 million and N2 million monthly, paid in dollars, with accommodation and official cars. Nigerians earn only N25,000 to N50,000 with no housing allowance or health insurance.”
Another protester added that this was not the first time such grievances had been raised.
“This is the third protest since the company began operations. We’ve held meetings with management. They promised to implement the minimum wage increase in January during the annual performance appraisal, but nothing was done,” he said.
He further disclosed that the former Human Resources Manager resigned in protest earlier this year after repeatedly urging management to act on the salary and welfare issues.
“The HR manager tried to make the management understand the suffering of workers. When they ignored him, he resigned,” the source said.
Workers also allege the company has failed to provide basic safety and healthcare for its Nigerian staff despite the hazardous work environment.
“There’s no HMO (Health Maintenance Organisation), no proper medical unit. If you get injured on the job, they just terminate your contract and replace you. People have died trying to cross the highway to get to work. There’s not even an overhead bridge,” said one source.
According to the workers, expatriates enjoy fully funded housing, health insurance, and other benefits, while Nigerian employees receive none.
They also allege widespread discrimination, with foreigners favoured over local staff for key roles and privileges.
“There’s clear discrimination. Foreign workers are paid in dollars and given every comfort. Nigerian workers are left to suffer. They don’t care about our lives,” one of the sources said.
One of the protesters confirmed that a formal warning was issued to the management before the protest.
“We told them if they didn’t implement the new wage by April’s salary, we would protest. They usually pay between the 20th and 26th, but this time they paid on the 28th, possibly to delay or avoid the protest,” the source said.
However, the sources told SaharaReporters that the protest was peaceful and that workers were within their rights to demand fair treatment.
“They are not asking for too much—just a living wage, safety, and dignity,” one of them said.
When SaharaReporters contacted Jeremiah Joshua, spokesperson for African Natural Resources and Mines Limited, he said, “How did you get my contact? I will call you back, okay?”
However, SaharaReporters could not get his reaction to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
ANRML is considered as one of Africa’s largest iron producers, with a significant presence in Nigeria.
The plant in Gujeni is reportedly one of the continent’s most extensive integrated mining and processing facilities.