From Ali Galadima, Bauchi
The people of Birshin Fulani community in Bauchi Local Government Area have accused a construction company, Triacta Nigeria Ltd of polluting their environment with toxic asphalts and cracking their buildings while quarrying rocks for construction.
According to the people the company while blasting and quarrying rocks usually asked them to boycott their houses pending when they finish blasting rocks, a situation they found it very discomforting them and their children for years.
Alhaji Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim, a resident of the Birshin Fulani narrated how he was beaten up by a staff of the company for refusing to leave his neigbourโs house which lies few metres where the blast and quarrying usually take place.
He said, โThey announced to residents that they will soon blast rocks, as has been the norm, they want all of us to temporarily vacate our houses so that they will do their work, I agreed to move out too, but just because I decided not to go far, one of their staff attacked me and started hitting me with the megaphone he was holding, and that was how I got injured on my headโ.
Muhammed said, as a result of the activities of the company that pollutes the environment with toxic waste and making life unbearable for residents, many people have fallen sick as a result.
Mohammed who described the activities of the company as worrisome and detrimental said โas a result of their activities, we that are close to the site suffer different kinds of ailments such as cold, asthma and so onโ.
Also, on his own part, Tukur Muhammad is another resident who bares his mind on the activities of the company, saying; โas you can see, this dust has been affecting residents of this community for years, the blasts is cracking our buildings and toilets, just as they quarrying is intoxicating us and affecting our healthโ.
He said members of the community have made efforts in the past to expressed their dissatisfaction on the activities of company, โbut we were ignored since we are powerless and donโt have the capacity to hold them accountableโ, he grudgingly added.
Many local residents who spoke to a team of journalists who visited the area called on the state government to quickly check the activities of the company in the area, which they described as unhealthy to many.
Speaking about the activities of the company, the village head of the community, Alhaji Isah Ciroma acknowledged its atrocious activities, saying they have received several complaints from residents who detest the unholy treatment meted on them.
โOf course if a company of this magnitude works at close proximity to residential areas, definitely people will be affectedโ, he said.
However, when contacted by journalists at the office of the company to get its officials response to the allegations leveled against them by residents, two staff who welcome the team of journalist declined to grant interview on the matter.
Instead, they asked two other staff to address the press, the two staff also declined to comment on the matter.
All efforts to get the commissioners of Bauchi State Ministries of Environment & Housing and that of Works & Transport Hon. Hamisu Shira and Abdulkadir Ibrahim Chikasoro were unsuccessful as their phone numbers were switched off as of press time.
