Worried about the wave of explosions recorded within a couple of weeks in the state, the Kano State government has banned the importation of scraps and waste materials from the northeastern states into the state.
The state’s commissioner for internal security and special services, retired AVM Ibrahim Umaru, who announced the ban, said materials, especially from the North-Eastern states affected by the Boko Haram War and Insurgency, were temporarily stopped.
AVM Umaru issued the directive during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Scraps and Waste Dealers of Nigeria, NASWDEN.
A statement by the Ministry’s Director of Public Relations and Enlightenment, Muhd Idris, quoted Retired AVM Umaru, saying the directive was a sequel to the recent bomb explosion at the warehouse of such scrap material along Western bypass road and Kofar Ruwa, which resulted in the loss of lives and properties.
He urged members of the association to develop measures aimed at preventing such occurrences and ensure that explosives are not present in such scrap materials before they are imported into the state.
“As Kano state will continue to protect your interest and your business, you should come up with a written policy and plans that will boost your business”, the commissioner added.
Earlier, the regional President of the association, Comrade Aminu Hassan, Sarkin Karafan Kasar Hausa, told the commissioner that they had already stopped buying scrap and waste materials from such states bedevilled by Boko Haram and insurgency in the northeast.
He assured the commissioner that they would continue to be law-abiding business partners and stressed the need for the Kano state government to support them in improving their business.
Comrade Aminu Hassan remarked that their associate was established under the Trade Union Law of 2004 and is being regulated by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
He maintained that most companies in the country depend solely on scrap materials for production, as they cannot afford to buy virgin or new materials, adding that if their business were to stop, many companies would certainly collapse.
He further added that the activities of their association create more jobs among the teeming unemployed youths, as they have over one hundred thousand registered members across the 44 local governments.
Comrade Aminu Hassan outlined some challenges affecting their business, which include the influx of underage children as scavengers and their disassociation from the involvement of children in the company, while blaming their parents or guardians for poor moral upbringing.
He revealed that some unscrupulous members sometimes vandalise properties and buy stolen items, adding that the association helps security in arresting and prosecuting anyone found to be involved.
Also commenting, the member Board Trustee of the association, Alh. Akilu Hassan Sardaunan Funtua, and Chairman NAK, stressed the need for collaboration with the Kano state government towards ensuring stable economic growth and development, and promised the commissioner that they would not relent in their efforts to prevent future occurrences of such incidents.
VANGUARD.
