Residents of erstwhile industrial parks in Kano state that have suffered from industrial pollution are seeking compensation from the state government. Writes BASHIR MOHAMMED.
Kano state right from inception had always witnessed huge concentration of industries ranging from tanneries, textiles and others that have thrived over the years. This made the cosmopolitan city a commercial hub in the zone.
The ancient city, therefore, has carved a niche for itself dating back to the colonial days when trans-Saharan trade was elevated to high heavens with prominent business tycoons trooping into the city in order to catch a glimpse of its economic and business treasures.
It is a well-known fact that the industries at that point had opened the floodgate for job seekers and employers of labour to develop a synergy that would pave the way for young school leavers and graduates who are gainfully employed without much ado.
However, with rising unemployment as a result of mass closure of many industries that had been operating before now, thousands of employed workers in those industries lost their jobs without any meaningful means of livelihood.
Therefore, Kano acknowledged as home of tanneries and textiles industries in Sharada, Challawa and Bompai through which it contributes to the economic development of the state lost that glamour.
However, it is on record that with the existing tanneries and textiles running their businesses in spite of the prevailing economic situation in the country, the issue of industrial waste management and effluent discharge became a recurring decimal. This is in the face of persistent agitation of residents considering the health hazard industrial pollution posed to their health in the face of ineffective industrial waste management in the past.
The absence of such a coherent policy, according to investigation, has its root right from 1999 to date when President Muhammadu Buhari came on board and set the ball rolling towards tackling industrial waste management in many states across the country.
With notable high profile industrial states currently receiving the priority attention of the government under the auspices of the Office of the Ecological Fund, Kano is now in the spotlight as the office has demonstrated its resolve in according technical support to the state as a result of the recent visit paid to some tanneries and textiles sites in the state by a high-powered delegation from the ecological fund led by the director of information, Mr Bassey Willy Bassey.
It was a hectic time taking a tour of industrial areas of Chalawa, Sharada and Bompai in order to assess the level of progress so far put in place by contractors handling the secondary treatment plant to have a clear picture of the situation for measures to be taken on how the menace of effluent discharge would be tackled properly.
Team visited commissioner
At the end of the seven hour inspection, the team paid a courtesy visit to the state commissioner for environment, Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso, for him to be kept abreast on its findings as well as hear the response of the state government on knotty issues raised.
Bassey informed the commissioner that with the impression they got, members of the team were fully satisfied with the stellar performance of the contractors handling the job and commended them for the giant stride they effected on ground.
According to him, the present administration has commendably taken the bull by the horns towards addressing the destructive scourge of damage from effluent discharge under the ecological fund, stressing that the team was not unmindful of the complaints lodged by some aggrieved residents of the areas affected.
He said, “Honourable commissioner sir, we are purposefully here to brief you on what we really saw on ground. We have visited all the areas concerned and took a stock of what is currently unfolding. First, I want to commend the contractors handling the job for the effort they put in place in making some considerable headway.”
“But I still want to tell you that many residents of the areas we visited complained about the appalling condition posed to them by toxic discharge. They voiced their grievances on the issue of compensation which they said was yet to be addressed. There is also the issue of dump sites demarcated for the purpose. We want to hear from you the response of the government on the complaints they lodged.”
He ended his comment by commending the state government for the warm reception accorded the team with a pledge to maintain such cordial relationship which would go a long way towards surmounting the problem for the safety of residents living in areas bedeviled by industrial pollution.
State gov’t is up to the task – Commissioner
On his part, Dr Getso said the Ganduje-led administration is not unmindful of the predicament of those seeking compensation, adding that the governor had directed the state Bureau of Land Management to look into ways of compensating those whose lands were acquired.
According to him, it was his firm conviction that the state government is greatly concerned about the pollution scourge and that he was taking proactive measures to address the issue, pointing out that the directive given to the bureau to look into the complaint of those seeking compensation was a clear demonstration of the fact that the administration meant business in that regard.
He said, “I just assumed office two weeks ago and still trying to take stock of what is on my table regarding some of the pressing issues that need to be addressed. The issue of industrial pollution is of utmost concern to us and we are not going to renege on finding a lasting solution to it.
“Your visit today has indisputably widened our horizon on how to tackle the menace at hand. I am new in this office still taking a stock on what is happening, but I am assuring you that we would never rest on our oars in doing what is most appropriate. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank you for finding time to visit Kano for the purpose of injecting succour into the minds of those bedeviled by the damage caused by effluent discharge,” he added.
General reactions
The visit, has however elicited a flurry of reactions from those in desperate need of urgent intervention from the state government as far as compensation and addressing damage by effluent discharge is concerned.
According to a resident of one of the areas affected, Malam Tsoho Sharada, he said residents are deeply concerned about the health hazard posed by industrial pollution, adding that they were completely fed up by endless promises made by successive governments with no concrete solution.
He said the time has come for the state government to buckle-up in living up to its billing by addressing the issue of compensation and the relocation of the dump sites. According to him, paying lip service to health condition would be inimical to their well-being.
“I have a trust in the governor for what he is doing to restore confidence in the minds of those who had completely lost hope. We are in a precarious health condition as a result of the industrial emission. We are pretty confident that the governor would never turn deaf ears to our needs.
“Go to other states that were affected with similar predicament. The Ogoni land, for example, had been known to be seeking hefty compensation for the damage inflicted on their environment. We are only taking things for granted by allowing such a serious havoc to be inflicted on us,” he added.
Speaking in the same vein, a resident of Sharada Quarters said all that had happened to them was as a result of the abject neglect they have suffered in the hands of successive governments. He added that those in power were just reticent because the appalling condition did not in any way affect them.
He, however, said he is highly elated by the visit, having accorded members of the team the opportunity to see things for themselves with a view to taking proactive measures to address them. He stressed that without the visit, nothing can be heard about their grueling predicament.
He said, “Anytime people make mention of Ogoni land, my heart often bleeds with sadness knowing that those whose land was pillaged and devastated have been fully compensated by those responsible for such a regrettable mess. However, in this part of the country, those calling the shots in the corridors of power neglect their own people on an issue like this.
“I am absolutely confident that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje would never pay lip service to our predicament. He is an epitome of compassion and sympathy to people being persecuted. You people have taken stock of our pitiful condition and what is supposed to be done to ameliorate it,” he affirmed.
What is now on the lips of those seeking compensation for their land acquired is what would be the future intervention of the Office of the Ecological Fund for the work to be completed in good time in addition to the effort to be put up by the state government.
