By Anwar Usman
The Kano State government has ordered a temporary stoppage of the importation of metal scraps and waste materials from the Northeastern states, especially those ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.
The order is contained in a press statement by Muhammad Dahir Idris, the Director of Public Relations and Enlightenment of the ministry, which was made available to journalists.
According to the statement, the commissioner for Internal Security and Special Services, AVM Ibrahim Umaru (Rtd), gave the directive on Wednesday during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Scraps and Waste Dealers, Employers of Nigeria.
Umaru said the order was due to the recent bomb explosion at the warehouse of such scrap materials along the Western Bypass Road and the Kofar Ruwa, which resulted in the loss of lives and properties.
He urged members of the association to take preventive measures aimed at preventing such occurrences and ensure that explosives are not present in 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 urged the association.
On his part, the Regional President of the association, Aminu Hassan, informed the commissioner that his association had already ceased purchasing scrap and waste materials from states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.
He assured Umaru that they would continue to be law-abiding business partners, just as he emphasised the need for the Kano State government to support them in improving their businesses.
The president further outlined some challenges bedevilling the association, including the inflow of underage children as scavengers, even as he readily disassociated the group from any form of involvement in the use of children as scavengers in the business.
However, he blamed the parents or guardians of such children and wards for their poor moral upbringing.
Hassan assured the commissioner that his association would not relent in its efforts to prevent the future occurrence of such incidents.