The construction market in the Northern Regional capital and its environs has been plunged into crisis following a prolonged strike by tipper truck drivers and sand miners after soldiers clamped down on their activities at a sand mining site in a village at Kumbungu.
The drivers and miners laid down their tools indefinitely a month ago after the soldiers stormed the site and destroyed many sand mining equipment including, 14 tipper trucks, an excavator and motorbikes. Some of the miners were reportedly assaulted and treated at hospital.
It is the first state sanctioned attack to be recorded in the history of sand mining in the area several decades ago. The soldiers accused the miners of destroying and threatening the White Volta River water source.
The military operation, however, was welcomed with widespread indignation and condemnation and after several public outcry, the drivers and miners declared indefinite strike, plunging the demand for sea sand to unaccustomed rate, as builders hasten to meet deadlines ahead of a rainy season.
The development has affected the area’s entire make-up of the construction business in the country’s fourth largest economy, from local civil engineering to the sale of building materials.
“As you can see… you are seeing doors, gates. We did it for others but they haven’t picked it yet; their work are not complete because the tipper trucks are afraid to go and fetch the sand, and if the work is not finished, we can’t also go and fix the doors there. Earlier we were always busy doing our work and seeing improvement but now, my brother we will come and sit here and go home with nothing,” Jamal, a 32 year old carpenter at Kalipohin, speaking to Starr News said as his business is at a breaking point.
Another carpenter at Tishegu, middle aged Mohammed Moro said he had been burdened with a new responsibility of taking care of his brother’s family and reiterated condemnation for the extreme military intervention.
His brother works as a mason and has not been able to raise a cedi to look after his family since the military carried out the crackdown.
“I have a brother like I use to give him money just now (sic), recently. He can’t get money to even cater for the children so I’m taking responsibility; so it is affecting us to be frankly, he cried out.
“The government should take a good look at it so that they can help those who are affected, the victims. If not it is going to affect and affect the government too because those tipper trucks don’t belong to one side.”
Cement and wood sellers are also complaining about low sales. At giant cement stores like Doyenna and B5 companies, officials won’t confirmed publicly the effect of the sand shortage but local ‘loading boys’ said they now spend more time doing nothing.
Individuals selling building materials said they were directly hit by the situation. Some of them are anxious they may have to shut down if the situation persists.
“Generally, the sale has gone down. In a week at least when they give us thousand bags it will not reach a week but now even 500 bags of cement it will keep more than two weeks”, a salesman at Zabura enterprise in Kalpohin revealed.
Abdulai Abdul Rahman selling building materials at Rahama Royal inside Jisonayili said, “The way they usually buy it has now reduced because is like they don’t do more, construct their buildings. Like a day you can sell over 40 boxes of unpolished tiles but now is no more like that; like in a day you would not even sell.”
Inusah Dobia sells woods at the Timber market at Aboabo. He criticized the military operation and asked government to “do something fast” to save many family.
“You see people here busily packing out the woods you think there is market here; all those they are taking away are ordered long time by people, they are not buying new woods. Go outside Tamale and see how people buildings have been left standing without completing so this should tell you that it is affecting everything,” Dobia said.
Starr News monitored that many buildings across different suburbs of the city have been left uncompleted and several youth were becoming jobless.
The tipper truck drivers have deployed taskforce to monitor some members who may, out of intense family pressure, hide to operate and the taskforce has been empowered to sanction culprits. Two weeks ago, four of its members who were caught illegally carrying sand to buyers had their trucks seized and fined GH¢200 each.
The drivers have insisted on compensations from government until then they will continue with the strike, however, government through the Defense Minister,
Dominic Nitiwul has mounted full throated defense, saying the miners had turned down several warnings from the security service.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Eliasu Tanko
