If tedious job is the secret to abundant wealth, stone crushers would have been millionaires in the world but that is not the case. ANDREW OJIH reports that in Taraba, scores of indigent natives barely survive on this hard job.
In Taraba state, a number of women and children make ends meet through stone-breaking or what is commonly referred to as stone-crushing. They go through a lot of hardship in order to get the final product for sale. The prominent site where they are usually found is along the By-pass Road, Jalingo in Taraba state capital where a massive body of rock stands in the full view of passersby.
Residents of the area, according to Blueprint investigation, are usually awoken each day with series of activities by this group of people who are daily in search of their means of daily survival.
As early as 7 am each day, these armies of women and youths throng this area not for sightseeing, but for serious business of stone-breaking.
Their jobs involve using hammers of various sizes to crush massive stones into large chunks and further reduce them into smaller forms for their prospective buyers.
Those who are into this kind of business told Blueprint that they have being doing it for several years despite the tedious nature of the job and the associated health hazards.
Some of them speak
Mrs Bachama Kachalla, a mother of six said she has been into the stone breaking business for the past 14 years to sustain her family. According to her, she sells a bag of stone for two thousand naira but said there are times she stays without any sale.
She described the job as tedious with many health hazards. According to her, “Many of us into the business do suffer from body pains and whitlow on our fingers from time to time.”
Despite the hazards, Mrs Kachalla said she has to stay on as that is the only means through which she sustains the family apart from paying the children school fees.
She noted that government has failed completely to provide empowerment opportunities for indigent women like her, noting that whenever there is an empowerment programmes, politicians in the state usually prefer their candidates to those who ideally should benefit.
She said their children are equally not captured in government’s youth empowerment programmes such as the Rescue Watch Grassroots Engagement Strategy initiated by the administration of Governor Ishaku.
Another stone crusher, Mrs Anna Potiwa, said she started the hard job 14 years ago.
She confided in Blueprint that from the business, she has trained four of her children through various levels of education.
According to her, “There is dignity in labour and that is why I choose to get into stone breaking business despite the hardship involved.
“The business has assisted me in training my children and wards up to higher institutions of learning, but the sad thing is the inability of these children to secure jobs after graduating from school,” she lamented.
She said there are occasions she had to part with the hard earned money realised from the business just to help her children secure white collar jobs, but ended up disappointed on the long run.
She, therefore, called on the government to show concern for the plights of poor women and youths by empowering them as well as assisting them in providing scholarships for their children.
She lamented the situation where those who are due for retirement from service continue to stay put, thereby depriving the younger generation the opportunity to secure jobs.
“Most of them will even prefer to reserve such positions for their children who are still in school rather than giving the children of the poor the opportunity to occupy such seats. This kind of attitude is not fair and we are suffering,” she said.
A young man, Kefas Adamu, a junior secondary school student said he started the hard job since 2005, saying he uses the proceeds to pay his school fees.
“My father is dead and my mother has no means to train me, so I have to do this to survive,” he informed.
Miss Nyasa Buwa’a, a 10-year old primary three pupil said she started the hard work of breaking stone two years ago. “It is from this that I pay my school fees since my parents have no means of training her.”
Mrs Hanatu Kikisu, a mother of four who has put in so many years in the stone breaking business, said the job would have been pleasurable and yielded better output if the government had provided a functional stone crushing machine for them.
“The worst thing is the fact that government failed to provide us with crushing machine; the business of the stone breaking has crashed completely,” she said.
She said breaking stones with hammers by using one’s bare hands is risky and energy-sapping, especially for women and children, while calling on the state government to assist in providing them with machine to make their work less stressful.
One noticeable thing about this line of business, according to Blueprint investigation is the number of underage children who are on the site to assist their parents.
One of them is eight year-old jofsee Hasumi who was seen sitting behind heaps of stones wearing thick hand gloves for protection while managing to break the stones.
Jofsee who is a primary five pupil in one of the government schools in Jalingo said he and other siblings usually come to the site during holidays to assist their parents in the business in order to earn a living.
According to him, he would have been happier if his lovely mother had a better job doing that would not warrant them (children) going through such hardship of breaking stones under scorching sun and rain.
Alphiba Wabee, a secondary school leaver said he completed his secondary education in 2016, but said his parents are not financially buoyant enough to send him to school at the moment, hence his decision to go into stone breaking business.
“My ambition is to study at the university and become an accountant, but there is no money to further my education for now. I want to raise some money to enable me purchase JAMB/UTME form next year,” he said.
He appealed to the state government to provide scholarship for indigent and less-privileged ones in the state to enable them go back to school.
Isaac Iliyuu, another young bright star who is also into the line of business said it is lucrative and fascinating, noting that he makes up to N7, 800 from it on weekly basis.
He said it was through the business that he was able to train two of his younger sisters at the Taraba State School of Nursing and Midwifery.
He noted patronage from customers is usually high during the dry season when compared to the rainy season.
Isaiah said he had tried to get himself enlisted in government’s empowerment programme for youths for years but was never successful, adding that he would want to go to school, if government provides him any scholarship opportunity.
| Ikenna Okonkwo | Sun, Mar 24, 5:03 PM (13 hours ago) | |
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From: Sunny Idachaba <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2019 4:07 PM
Subject: feature 2
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Rain of sorrow in Ekiti
It was meant to serve as relief from the intense heat while also preparing farmers towards the planting season but it came with an unexpected devastation that has left many homeless. RAPHAEL ADEYANJU writes on the rainstorm that rendered many homeless in Ekiti state last week.
Rainfall had always been considered as a source of blessing to humanity especially in agrarian societies like Ekiti state where people still depend largely on the traditional method of farming.
Since the farmers in this clime have not fully embraced the modern irrigation system, it is expected that the arrival of the annual rainfall is always a welcome development.
However, for the residents of Ado-Ekiti the capital of Ekiti state and some other communities in the state, the early rainfall of the year, rather than being a source of blessings, has turned their joy to sorrow and tears.
The heavy rainfall that took place over the weekend destroyed many buildings and property worth more than a hundred million naira throughout state. Many households have been rendered homeless.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Ekiti Emergency Management Agency (EEMA) both announced that the state capital and two local government areas were worst hit by the disaster.
More than 80 houses were affected and property worth more than 100 million naira has been destroyed in about seven communities.
The general manager of EEMA, Mr Buruji Olajide, told Blueprint that apart from the state capital, some other communities like, Are, Afao and Igbemo, in Irepodun/ Ifelodun local government area of Ekiti state were seriously affected by the rainstorm.
Buruji also said that Isan Ekiti and Iludun in Oye local government area were seriously by the rainstorm.
Victims cry out
The traditional ruler of Are Ekiti, one of the affected towns has cried out to both the state and the federal governments to come to the aid of his community over the devastating rainstorm that destroyed over 46 houses in the community.
Speaking to Blueprint in his palace, Oba Boluade Adebiyi, the Alare of Are Ekiti lamented that his palace and more than 30 other buildings were affected by the devastating heavy rainstorm.
He said, “As you can see, part of the palace roof has been blown off but that is not my immediate problem now. My major concern is how to take care of my people that have become homeless by this natural disaster.”
One of the victims, Mr Ayodele Anisulowo of Number 18, Odo-ode Street in Are Ekiti lamented that the roof of his family house was blown off by the rainstorm with the whole household members rendered homeless with many properties destroyed by the storm.
Anisulowo is not the only victim. Madam Jibiye Adeleye an octogenarian widow has been forced to relocate to her paternal house pending the time her children can repair the house. She said, “I thank God that I am a native of Are Ekiti; I have a place to keep my head for now. But it is not convenient at all. l have been married for almost 60 years and since I left for my husband’s house, I have not slept a night here in my father’s house, but here I am now.”
Oba Adebiyi who said he has contacted relevant state and federal authorities to come to the aid of the community also appealed to the indigenes of Are Ekiti in the Diaspora to come home and help their people at home. He explained that, “Immediately after the rainstorm, I sent some of my chiefs to inform the state government; I also contacted officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA) and I received their quick response.”
Oba Adebiyi, who explained that the victims are yet to get relief materials, expressed the hope that both the ESEMA and its federal counterpart jointly visited the community and they will do something very soon.
Mr Olajide has, however, promised that Are Ekiti and affected communities will receive government attention as soon as the agency completes its report.
According to him, “The state emergency management agency and NEMA have jointly visited some of the affected areas for on-the-spot assessment of the damage. More than 30 houses were destroyed in each of san and Iludun. 40 roofs houses were blown off in Afao, more than 45 houses were affected in Are Ekiti. Among the property destroyed in Afao, was the newly completed Gifted Academic in Afao Ekiti
“We have visited some of the affected communities to assess the level damage. We have been able to establish that more than 70 houses were affected, we thank God that no casualty was recorded, but we are still compiling our report, when it is ready, we shall state the total number of houses affected.
State government to assist victims
In the meantime, the state government has promised to assist people whose properties were destroyed by rain storm from the incident.
Speaking shortly after inspecting the properties which spread across major parts of Ado Ekiti, the state capital, the secretary to the state government, Hon Biodun Oyebanji and the chief of staff to the governor, Hon Biodun Omoleye said the state government would work in collaboration with NEMA to quickly assuage the sufferings of the victims many of whose houses and roofs were blown off by the heavy rainstorm which has caused untold hardship on the people.
The SSG described the damage as high and alarming as properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
He said the Fayemi-led administration will always be swift in responding to the plight of the people because, according to him, he runs a government that cares for the people.
He urged the people to cultivate the habit of tree planting which can help in protecting the environment, while noting that the trees within Ado Community High School prevented the rainstorm from wrecking havocs on the school.
“We are here to have a physical assessment of the damage. The rate of devastation is so high and alarming. We sympathise with those who were affected by this natural disaster. We promise them that government will rise to the occasion. We run a government that cares for the people, a government that is responsive to their plight.
We share their pains; we share their concerns. We assure them that this is their government. Whatever we can in collaboration with NEMA to quickly assuage their suffering, we will do that expeditiously,” he said.
A victim Mr Toyin Olaiya thanked the state government for the swift response and pleaded for relief materials so that they can have houses to accommodate them.
A 90-year old woman, Madam Florence Arogundade, whose house was also affected at Ekute area, came out with the aid of her walking stick and asked the governor not to relent in prioritising the welfare of the masses.
Madam Arogundade, however, thanked Fayemi for the quick response and prayed for the success of his government.
