Abuja: Guzape residents decry rock blasting

Residents of Guzape District of Abuja in the FCT have raised alarm over the psychological and physical damage being done to them as a result of rock blasting activities by a construction company, Gilmor Construction Nigeria Ltd. The residents, who addressed a press conference at the site of a road construction project by the company, […]

Residents of Guzape District of Abuja in the FCT have raised alarm over the psychological and physical damage being done to them as a result of rock blasting activities by a construction company, Gilmor Construction Nigeria Ltd.

The residents, who addressed a press conference at the site of a road construction project by the company, said they had been living in fear since the commencement of the project.

A resident, a former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Achuba Simon, said the occupants and owners of property in the area were living without fear for almost a decade before the rock blasting.

He said, “For three months, we noticed with tremor incessant blasting of rocks very close to our residential accommodations contrary to statutory regulations governing blasting of rocks either for construction or mining.

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“At any point the blast is done, the whole residential houses within the vicinity of the blasting site shakes, thereby injuring the integrity of the property and the lives of our wives and children.

“We reported to the police and caution was given to the construction company by the police to observe regulatory guidelines for blasting of such nature, yet they refused and failed to follow the path of reasoning for human existence.’’

The residents noted that while they acknowledged that the purpose of the blast was for the construction of a road for the development of the district, such should have been done 10 years ago when there was no approved development plan for housing by the FCDA.

They, therefore, called on NESREA, Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals Development, Federal Ministry of Environment and FCDA to stop the incessant blasts.

Calls placed to the company for reaction by our reporter did not go through and an SMS sent on the issue was not replied.