Tremor: Quarrying remains suspended in FCT — Minister

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development Abubakar Bawa Bwari said quarrying activities remain suspended in the Federal Capital Territory.

Bwari was speaking during a press briefing when the Quarry Owners Association of the Nigeria paid him a courtesy call yesterday.

“It’s unfortunate we had to suspend your activities. We did that because of the earthquake. It is not a decision we would have love to take, but we wanted to be sure of the cause of the earthquake that took place here in Abuja. When it happened, the general public had their feeling, and because some of you had quarrying activities going on around that place, we had to assure them that we are working on the matter, by trying to suspend activities that involved yours in that area until investigation is concluded,” Bwari said.

The minister said though preliminary investigation shows that the quarrying activities had nothing to do with the earthquake, the suspension has not been lifted.

He said the inter-ministerial committee set up to investigate the cause of the earthquake will soon submit its report.

The Chairman, Quarry Owners Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Nasir Ibrahim urged the government to lift the suspension on blasting/quarrying in the FCT as inputs from quarrying contribute to the overall development building projects.