Our staff death caused by obstruction – Triacta

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By Muhammed Ogwu, Lafia

The management of Triacta Nigeria Limited has confirmed the death of one of its staff who was working at the ongoing flyover and underpass project in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

Confirming the unfortunate incident to our correspondent in an exclusive in Lafia, the state capital on Thursday, the Public Relation Officer of the company A. B. Yahaya, said the incident happened at about 11:00am on Wednesday.

He explained that the other staff of the company who sustained minor bruses working alongside with the deceased when the incident happened were taken to Federal Teaching Hospital FUTH, Lafia for X-ray and proper check up to ascertain whether something is wrong with them

While narrating further on the matter A. B. Yahaya, said some members of the public defied their appeal made to them to use an alternative roads provided for them, but went ahead forcing their way through a barricaded road and in the process causing so many damages including the recent accident that led to the lost of one of their staff who was working underground.

According to him, “Our workers were working at the project site and there was an alternative routes provided for the road users to pass by the management of the company so as to avoid any distortion in the ongoing flyover and underpass project, but some respected the order and while some refused to and sometimes they engaged security agencies at the site on physical fight for stopping them.”

“We have put all the necessary mechanism in place. In fact, we have :
made an appeal to the public on media houses before the commencement of the construction work. We provided alternative ways for users and barricaded the constructions area and engaged security agencies for enforcement. All in attempt to complied with the international best practice for safety to avert any possible incident that might arise at the construction site,” he added.

He continued, “At a point we had to increase the number of security agencies at the site, to enforce the rules to enable us deliver at the agreed time that people would not obstruct the ongoing flyover and underpass project. All efforts by the security agencies attached to the construction company to stop people from violating our rules proved abortive as some of them engaged their security agencies in a heat argument and sometime resulted to quarrel even. So, we have done a lot to see that the attitude of people is being controlled, but all our efforts slow response.”

He further explained that they were undergoing a two days training on occupational safety and health in construction industry for staff of Triacta Nigeria Limited, organized by federal ministry of labour and employment, Nasarawa state office when the unfortunate incident happened.

He, however, disclosed that the aim of the training was to further acquaint each and every worker working at the site on the step-taking to prevent himself and others, nothing that all the knowledge gained from the workshop was to enable all staff of the company to protect themselves from any possible incident that might arise in the cause of their work.

He said, “It was the hip of laterite sand that fell on the disease and the remaining three that sustained minor bruses are at the Federal Teaching Hospital FUTH, Lafia for a proper medical check up in order to ensure that there is nothing absolutely wrong with them and they are under our care, but due to the ongoing strike embarked upon by the organized labour in Nasarawa state, we took two to one Kowa hospital a private hospitals which is directly opposite FUTH and the remaining one we took to police clinic, Lafia.”

On the number of incidences that occured since the company commenced its work in Lafia, he said that the latest incident that occured was the second one within the span of three weeks.

He then urged the citizens and the member of the general public to cooperate with the company, nothing 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 it will bring more development to state and Nigeria as a whole,” he pleaded.

The PRO then employed the public to cooperate with the company to deliver the project at the speculated 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 chiefs, and other relevant authorities in the state to urgently intervene and address the unenessary obstruction causing to them by some member of the general public.

However, investigation by our correspondent who went round the state to monitor the ongoing project, observed that some members of the public dung a deep gutter thereby preventing people from using the alternative road provided by the the company a situation he described causing a serious obstruction at the ongoing project.

Further findings by our correspondent, indicated that some member of the public are taken laws into their hands, therebye refusing to comply to the safety measures aimed at safe guarding the lives of the entire citizen and the staff of the company.