State Sand Dredgers are Doing illegal Activities, Dangers to the Environmental Impact Assessment…. NIWA.
The Leadership of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has described the activities of sand Miners or Dredgers in Imo State as dangerous and future risk to the State atmospheres and environment.
Speaking the Owerri Area Manager National Inland Waterways Authority, Mr. Vincent Ordia, said that the falsehood, orchestrated assassination of characters from the illegal sand Dredgers in Imo State has posed dangers and threats to their work, National Inland Waterways Authority as well to the Environmental Impact Assessment analysis of the Imo State.
As the major reasons behind the clampdown on such nefarious activities is for the safety of the State and it’s environs and not in anyway associated with what the Dredgers alleged on extortions of money, intimidations and harassment of their members.
Chief Vincent Odia, said that, the activities of Nigeria Inland Waterway Authority is not only in Imo State but Owerri Area Manager covered Abia State, Imo State and some part of River State but declared that the activities of sand Miners or Dredgers in Imo State is taking a different tolls with people bringing in dredging Machines on daily basis to disrupt and obstruct the Water fronts or Ways. He maintained that the NIWA officers are saddled with the responsibility to keep all the National navigation water ways free from encumbrances, obstructions and devaluation at least from the 100 meters away to the River bodies.
He insisted that their work as a National Agency is to protect and prevent all forms of illegal activities, obstructions and devaluation along navigation water ways, territories and Distributories, and Imo River is one of the Federal Government Water Ways in Owerri Zone and all the enclaves associated with the River is under their watch including the Owerri Otamiri River as a major Distributories to the Imo River.
Ordia maintained that his officers decided to clampdown on the illegal sand Miners or Dredgers in the State due to their inability to regularize their activities and allow strict monitoring of their activities after series of deliberation and negotiations without fruitful results.
He maintained that the NIWA officers Taskforce often went alone to see the contraveners but often attacked for telling the Dredgers the need to do the right thing and now his agency decided not to risk the life of the officers by ensuring the Military are along with them for easy way of doing the right thing but those illegal miners and Dredgers resorted to carry placards against NIWA going to the DSS, Imo State Police Command, State and Federal Ministry’s.
In his word, “We have a good working relationship with all the mentioned Organizations, including Federal Miners and mineral Ministry and nobody will cow us from doing the right thing to protect the National Inland Waterways Authority as the obligations to the safety of all the Navigation water ways.
“We are not intimidating, harassing or extortions of money from anybody but let the illegal Sand Miners and Dredgers stop or do the right thing to keep Imo State environment safe from future destructions and damage”,
We are not calling to regularize the illegal sand Miners or Dredgers activity’s but to insist that they carried out their business inline with the Environmental Impact Assessment analysis and procedures as the ministry of Miners and mineral are their regulations body but not to infringed on the Federal Inland Waterways Authority coastal areas, territories and Distributories of the Navigation water ways”. Odia
It could be recalled that “the Miners Association of Nigeria Members allegedly protested against National Inland Waterways Authority’s on assault, intimidations and money extortions using fake Military”.
An action which was described by NIWA as untrue, falsehood and accusations meant to draw emotional sympathy from the public whereas the sand Miners or Dredgers has done irreparable environmental related destructions against the people of Imo State.
The Chairman, Imo State Miners Association, Prince Ugochukwu Onyenwenwa while taking his members to the appropriate authorities expressed their anger and grievances through the recent protests against Nigeria Inland Waterway Authority.