Concerns Over Quarry Operation in Igere, Ogun State

Residents of Igere in the Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State have expressed concern over the operation of a quarry by mining company Zhong Tai, which has led to the destruction of houses and put them at risk of several heart diseases.

The vibrating sound that always comes whenever the company is blasting rock at the quarry site in the community has caused shock and fear among the residents. A student of Olabisi Olabanjo University, Feranmi Precious, said that the whole house was in shock when the vibrating sound came.

Iya Afin Anini, a store owner selling groceries in the community for about 15 years, revealed that the community normally alerted them before any operation but failed to do so for the last operation. Sidiq Abdullahi, a professor of Environmental Geography, analyzed how the blasting operation will negatively impact the lives of the dwellers of the community, as all the chemicals used in the blasting operation can affect human beings and animals, particularly after rainfall.

Chief Anini Tajudeen, the traditional ruler of the community, accused the company of breaching major terms of the agreement reached between the parties before the company was allowed to work at the quarry. He stated that the road was not being implemented according to their wish, and the road was too rough.

Eke, one of the supervisors of the quarry, stated that the company’s operation in the community did not violate any previous agreement they had with the residents.