By Othuke Evroh
The recent protest by the residents of ACO Estate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council(AMAC), against the blasting operations by Dai Jin Jia Investment Limited, a Chinese- owned quarry, has yet again, brought to the front burner the knotty dilemmas and the failures of regulatory agencies surrounding quarry operations and new settlers in the FCT at large.
Led by the Estate Chairman, Sunny Kulutuye, the residents of ACO Estate numbering over 100 and commercial motorcyclists last Saturday, barricaded all access roads and entryway to the quarry site, using some vehicles to barricade all entrances to the site and by so doing, precluding the quarry site from working. The protesters lamented that the blasting had caused damage to their roofs and homes.
While it is not the concern of this paper to authenticate the veracity of the claims put forward by the residents, it is instructive to state that Dai Jin Jia Investment Limited, the Chinese- owned quarry company in question holds a valid licence to operate and carryout legitimate quarry operations in the current site. As a matter of fact, Dai Jin Jia Investment Limited, got its Lease by 8 Cadastre Unit(CU), on 25th September, 2014. And as at that time, there were no settlers living in the safety area of the site.
It is also imperative to state that the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette 2013, on the National Environmental(Quarrying and Blasting Operations) Regulations 2013, Part IV and V of the Blasting Operation Plan and Operating Mechanisms and Guidelines for Blasting, numbers 18 and 20, among others, state thus.
(18)- A person shall not carry out quarrying and blasting of rocks below ground level unless with a permit duly obtained from the relevant authority.
(20)- A person shall not locate a quarry or engage in blasting within three kilometers(3km) of any existing residential, commercial or industrial area.
Suffice it to also state that on the 9th of January this year, Dai Jin Jia Investment Limited submitted its application for permit to purchase Explosives and Accessories to the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development(Mines Inspectorate Department), and the permit in that regard was granted by the Ministry on 14th February, 2025.
Similarly, on the 14th of July, 2025, Dai Jin Jia Investment Limited, in furtherance to the above, sent a notification for Blast to the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and was granted permission by the Ministry to carry out blasting at its quarry site located at ACO Village, AMAC, FCTR, Abuja on its proposed dates of 15th and 16th of July, 2025. These documents are on record.
Therefore, it is noteworthy to reiterate that Dai Jin Jia Investment Limited, got its Lease by 8 Cadastre Unit(CU), on 25th September, 2014, and as of the time its Lease was approved and availed by the relevant authority, there were no settlers living within the safety area of the site as stipulated by the extant law or gazette mentioned above.
From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that the source or root cause of the conflict lies in the recent settlers or residents’ encroachment into the designated safety zone around the quarry site. Suffice it to state that the Environmental laws in the 2013 gazette as quoted above, stipulate a minimum distance of 3km between residential, commercial or industrial areas and quarry sites. This regulation established with good intentions and purposes has been obviously violated and disregarded by the ever teeming settlers and residents of the FCT.
The above situation or predicament raises several questions about the government’s role and its regulatory agencies in enforcing environmental regulations and ensuring the safety of its citizens. The singular fact that residents have been allowed to settle in close proximity to the quarry site speaks volume of the degree of dereliction of duty and suggests a failure on the part of the authorities to effectively enforce existing laws and regulations.
I therefore, as a matter of utmost urgency, call on the government to take immediate action to address the concerns of the residents while also ensuring that the quarry company continues to work, operate in a safe and environmentally responsible manner as dictated by the law and without any form of harassment, infringements or undeservered interference from the residents of ACO Estate.
While I sympathise with the residents of ACO Estate for their loss of at all, I still strongly maintain that the government must ensure the proper implementation of state laws or regulations pertaining community settlements and the protection of its citizens lives and property.
Driven by the unending rural-urban migration, the FCT has continued to witness an unending influx of thousands of Nigerian citizens from different parts of the country in their search for the good life. By taking proactive measures to nip this predicament in the bud, the government can prevent similar conflicts and ensure the continuous wellbeing and safety of its citizenry.
I will conclude by stating that the ACO Estate protest serves as another wake-up and a reminder that the government must exist to provide the good life and in addition, protect the property, ensure the wellbeing and existents of its citizens.
The residents’ protest serves as a wake-up call for the government to reassess its regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms. It is imperative that the government takes concrete steps to address the concerns of the residents and ensures that the quarry company operates in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
In addition to above, none of the so-called settlers has a valid building plan to build or develop any building within blasting zone. Similarly, they claimed to the allocated the land within ACO housing estate, they should provide any document relating to the said claims.
