Many people in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, are earning livelihood from stone crushing business, Daily Trust Saturday reports.
The capital of Jigawa State is a rocky town; hence, many young people and the elderly resort to crushing rocks, which they sell as building materials to earn money.
In Takur and Galadanci areas, rock crushers sell a portion at N80,000) and above.
One of the crushers, Basiru Isah, said he learnt the job from his father when he was 9 years old.
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From the proceeds of the business, Isa said he built his personal house and got married.
“We are making something out of this business; we thank God.
If one can endure, the business will take care of one’s needs and even assist others,” Isa said.
Asked if he could abandon the business for a government job if given the offer, Isa said he would not do any job that he would be paid at the end of the month.
He said that for more than 10 years he spent in the business, he had never failed to meet his basic needs.
He also said about 70 workers relied on the business for their livelihood.
On the challenges they are facing, Isa said some people did not value their work, and there’s lack of modern working tools to break the rocks easily. He called on the government to assist them with modern tools to improve the quality of their work.
In a rock crushing site at Galadanchi, the business is also thriving as many workers could be seen, and many buyers are attracted.
The colour of the crushed rock at Galadanchi is black, and it is usually used by builders, not only in Jigawa but many cities in Nigeria.
Zubairu Abdu, a 70-year-old stone crusher, said he had been in the business since the time of a formerly military governor of old Kano State, the late Audu Bako.
Abdu said he had spent up to 60 years in the business and is proud of his job, which he relied on to support his family.
“We thank God for his blessings. I am old now, but I must say that this business has been my source of sustenance. Whatever I have achieved in life is courtesy of this stone crushing business,” he said.
Like Isa, the challenge for Abdu is lack of modern tools to make their job easy.
Abdu also called on the government to look into their business, with a view to supporting them with working tools.
A 42-year-old Amadu Usaini said their challenges had to do with the current hardship as people hardly patronise them these days.
Usaini said that sometimes, a week would pass without any customer coming to buy crushed rocks, and they would keep waiting by the roadside.
He said, “This business is highly laborious but rewarding. At the moment, we are experiencing low sales, maybe because of the general economic situation in the country. But we thank God.”
Usaini said he had been taking care of a wife and seven children from the proceeds of the business.
He wants the government to help address the current hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
Daily Trust Saturday reports that although Jigawa is counted among the poorest states in the country, many believe that if properly harnessed, its potentials could propel it to greatness.
