Ibeto Group in Massive Layoffs as 2000 Workers Lose Jobs

Nigerian owned and Nnewi based battery manufacturing company, the Ibeto Group, is claiming that dumping of cheap Chinese batteries have cost the company about 2000 jobs lost in the last three years.

According to Vanguard, Chairman of the company, Chief Cletus Ibeto, said in Nnewi that due to the dumping, his company could no longer sell its products at competitive prize, hence the sacking of nearly 2,000 workers and closure of its Friction Parts Plant in 2013.Ibeto was quoted as saying:


“With our 28 years in the business of batteries manufacturing in Nigeria, we remain the only batteries manufacturing company to have survived the very harsh manufacturing environment in Nigeria.
“However, the unfriendly manufacturing environment in Nigeria continued to take its toll on the company, forcing a reduction in staff strength from 1,230 in the 1990s to 450 currently, while production dropped from 1,000,000 units in the 1990s to 1,1250 units per month presently.”

The Nnewi based company also said that the company would have been able to produce 1,200,000 units per annum from the present 360,000 units where it not for the uncontrolled nature Chinese batteries are imported into Nigeria.

Chief Ibeto, however did not explain how much his batteries cost compared to that of the Chinese and whether his batteries are also efficiently priced.