T HE sea of heads and the busy nature of the area attracts your attention. Then, the staccato sound of the hammer hitting the stone gives an indication that some activities are on through which people are deriving their means of livelihood. A close watch also reveals some form of marketing going on as trucks of various sizes are packed waiting to be loaded with granite.
These are the routine jobs of young men and women engaged in the difficult business of cracking stone as a means of livelihood at either of the two sites of stone deposits in Kaduna.
The first of these two sites is located along the newly constructed Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Way, a few metres from the residence of Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo while the other is located along the Umaru Gwandu Road in the Malali area of the metropolis.
From these two places, most of the granites used for house constructions within the Kaduna metropolis and its environs are sourced. As difficult as the business may be, it is expected that it should be carried out using modern equipment, but the workers use local tools and said some of them have been involved in this business for several years.
Incidentally, some of those involved in the business of stone cracking are graduates and students of higher institutions who fend for themselves.
Without the luxury of using dynamites to blast the rocks before breaking them into smaller pieces, those involved in this business first blast the rock firing it up. While leaving the place after the day’s business, they make bonfire on the crack between the rocks.
Abubakar Ladan, one of those involved in the business told our correspondent that the exercise usually starts at 6:00 in the evening when they set fire to blast the rock.
“When the fire is burning and gets to a higher degree, we keep away, watching from afar as the rock is blast. In the morning, we return to the site and our leaders will apportion the broken rocks to different groups to break them down to the desired shapes and sizes before they are sold,” he said.
On his part, Ibrahim Isah, who said he has been involved in the business for 15 years, said it requires some procedures and instruments.
He said: “You need chisels, hammers, shovels and diggers to do your work and when you have a rock before you to break; you may end up sitting down for hours breaking the stones into pieces. This requires patience and endurance.”
It was further gathered that the stones are sold in different shapes and sizes. The pieces go for between N2,500 and N3,000 while a tipper load is sold between N50,000 and N75,000 depending on the size of the truck.
Even though some of those spoken to believe the business is a difficult one, it is daily attracting many youths apparently because it doesn’t require much initial capital to start except small amount of money needed to acquire the tools.
Some residents of Umaru Gwandu Road in Malali are, however, not happy with those cracking stones in the neighbourhood. They believe that those involved in the business in the area constitute public nuisance to them.
Smart Adejoh, a teacher with Destiny College located close to the quarry in the area told our correspondent that the noise from the rock affects teaching and learning in the school as it often causes distraction to the children. He, therefore, wants the government to relocate them to other areas. He believes that they have a right to earn a living, but insisted that such a business is better carried out outside the town in order not to disturb other people.
Alhaji Bashir Mustapha, a retired Permanent Secretary said apart from being a source of public disturbance, the area where the people operate shields criminals. Mustapha said it is very common to see people engage in this business who indulge in taking hard substances as source of extra energy. This is because stone breaking demands much energy.
“There was a time a young man was killed at that very site because of misunderstanding between two of them over who owns some equipment to which both of them were laying claims. Anybody in normal senses will never engage in such dangerous action.
“The police saved the day when they raided the area and culprits were arrested while others abandoned the site and for a few months, we enjoyed a quiet environment. But by the middle of last year, they returned. I am calling on the authorities to monitor their activities,” he said.
However, Alhaji Mohammed Iliyasu Malali, who is the leader of the workers, disagreed with the allegations, saying they pose no form of threat to society. He said the business in the area is as old as Malali itself.
He said: “In 1974, all the stones used in constructing the state and federal low cost housing units for the FESTAC 77 were gotten from the Malali rock. In fact, the area was so named because of the business. We have contributed immensely to the economic development, not only of Malali, but also the state in general. That people live in houses is enough for shown some gratitude, because we endure all kinds of hazards in order to get these building materials.”
He, however, said it is not impossible to find criminally-minded ones among the people, saying “it is human nature. Everybody cannot be a saint. But we have a way of controlling ourselves. If we discovered that any of them steals stones broken by other people, the punishment is automatic expulsion from the membership of our business.
“If someone fights or engages in taking hard drugs, he is suspended until he shows some remorsefulness. So, you see we are organised. I am part of the Badarwa/Malali District Council and I cannot be leading hooligans and rogues as being peddled around by some people.”
However, the stone crackers along Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Way declined comments on their operations as they demanded to be paid before doing so. They alleged that they have been promised equipment to ease their operation , a promise they said was not fulfilled.
However, at the two sites, it was discovered that some of those engaged in the trade are teenagers and under-aged children who claimed they want to be of help to their parents. The plight of these kids is currently before the House of Representatives.
The House has reportedly directed its relevant committees to investigate the alleged use of child labour at the quarries and report back to it. Even though the directive was issued in May last year, it is not clear if the committees have done that.
According to available reports, the directive by the House followed a motion raised by Hon. Hassan Saleh (PDP-Benue) entitled “Urgent need to investigate the use of child labour in some quarries in Kaduna and Nasarawa states”.
Saleh said the quarries usually engaged children of primary school age who ought to be in school to work in their quarries crushing rocks from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., pointing out that about 40 children were engaged at the quarry site along Yakowa Road in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while some are also found along Akwanga-Lafia Road in Nasarawa State.
He believes the children were daily working in rather very risky environment and are exposed to very harsh conditions while working under the scorching heat of the sun and even in the rain.
Saleh also alleged that the children working in some of these quarries were children between ages nine and 15, who, he said, still required the protection of their parents and the states.
He said: “The employment of children of these ages is a deprivation of their ability to attend regular schools and could subsequently cause irreparable mental, social and moral damage to them.”
Those engaged in this business are, no doubt, exposed to various health hazards. A visit to the area revealed high level of hazy dust resulting from the cracking of the stones. Unfortunately, the boys engaged in this business do not wear protective masks to prevent them from inhaling the dust.
Health experts believe that the dust settles in the lungs over time and results in ailment such as asthma.
To reduce such ailments, Mallam Ali Sokoto appealed to the government to provide them with equipment to enable them carry out their trade with little ease. He lamented that government has not considered them important enough to be included in the SURE-P programme, adding that the government has an obligation to come to their aid.
He said: “Many of the people here are young men. They are engaged here and will have no time for mischief. So, they cannot be used to foment trouble. When they leave this place, they will be too tired to go and foment trouble. So, we deserve to be included in the poverty alleviation programme of the government and the SURE-P.”
