The ongoing flyover construction
By Muhammed Ogwu, Lafia
The management of Triacta Nigeria Limited has confirmed the death of one of its staff members who was working on the ongoing flyover and underpass project in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
Confirming the unfortunate incident to our correspondent in Lafia on Thursday, the Public Relations Officer of the company, A. B. Yahaya, said the incident happened at about 11:00 am on Wednesday.
He explained that other staff members who sustained minor bruises while working alongside the deceased were taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Lafia, for X-rays and proper check-ups to ensure there were no serious injuries.
While narrating further on the matter, A. B. Yahaya said some members of the public defied their appeals to use alternative roads provided for them and instead forced their way through a barricaded road. This caused significant damage, including the recent accident that led to the loss of one of their staff members who was working underground.
According to him, “Our workers were working at the project site, and there were alternative routes provided for road users by the management of the company to avoid any distortion in the ongoing flyover and underpass project. However, some respected the order while others refused to comply, sometimes even engaging security agencies at the site in physical confrontations for stopping them.”
“We have put all the necessary mechanisms in place. In fact, we made an appeal to the public through media houses before the commencement of the construction work. We provided alternative routes for users, barricaded the construction area, and engaged security agencies for enforcement, all in an attempt to comply with international best practices for safety and to avert any possible incidents at the construction site,” he added.
He further explained that they were undergoing a two-day training on occupational safety and health in the construction industry for staff of Triacta Nigeria Limited, organized by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nasarawa State office, when the unfortunate incident happened.
He disclosed that the aim of the training was to further acquaint each worker at the site with steps to prevent accidents, noting that the knowledge gained from the workshop was to enable all staff of the company to protect themselves from any possible incidents.
He said, “It was a heap of laterite sand that fell on the deceased, and the remaining three who sustained minor bruises are at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Lafia, for proper medical check-ups to ensure there is nothing seriously wrong with them. They are under our care, but due to the ongoing strike embarked upon by the organized labor in Nasarawa State, we took two to one Kowa Hospital, a private hospital directly opposite FUTH, and the remaining one to the police clinic in Lafia.”
On the number of incidents that have occurred since the company commenced its work in Lafia, he said that the latest incident was the second one within a span of three weeks.
He then urged the citizens and the general public to cooperate with the company, noting that the ongoing flyover and underpass project is for the overall interest of the state and Nigeria at large. “Please give us the needed cooperation so that we can succeed. This project, if completed, will bring more development to the state and Nigeria as a whole,” he pleaded.
The PRO also appealed to the public to cooperate with the company to deliver the project on time. “Please kindly help us to work. This work is for you,” he pleaded.
He also appealed to the state government, traditional rulers, heads of security, and other relevant authorities in the state to urgently intervene and address the unnecessary obstruction caused by some members of the public.
However, an investigation by our correspondent, who went around the state to monitor the ongoing project, observed that some members of the public dug a deep gutter, thereby preventing people from using the alternative road provided by the company, a situation he described as causing a serious obstruction to the ongoing project.
Further findings by our correspondent indicated that some members of the public are taking the law into their own hands, thereby refusing to comply with safety measures aimed at safeguarding the lives of citizens and the staff of the company.
