By Emmanuel Iheaka
Members of the Imo Dredgers & Excavators Association have raised concerns over what they describe as harassment and multiple taxation by agents of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
The complaints follow recent protests staged by the association at the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Owerri, and the Imo State Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Solid Minerals.
Briefing journalists in Owerri on Thursday, the association, through its lawyer Barr. Oluchukwu Nnabugwu, said repeated attempts to resolve the issue with NIWA have been unsuccessful.
The dredgers emphasized that they are fully licensed to operate and questioned the basis of the alleged harassment.
“Officers of NIWA have, on multiple occasions, harassed, intimidated, and obstructed members of the Imo Dredgers & Excavators Association while they were carrying out lawful sand dredging and excavation operations in the Otamiri River,” Nnabugwu said.
He explained that NIWA claims authority as the statutory regulator of sand dredging on the Otamiri River, demanding permits, licenses, and additional dues, despite the dredgers being fully licensed by the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, and having fulfilled all statutory financial obligations.
“The demands and actions of NIWA constitute double taxation, regulatory overreach, and interference with constitutionally protected business and property rights, as NIWA has no lawful regulatory authority over sand mining or dredging activities governed exclusively by the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act,” he added.
In response, NIWA Managing Director Mr. Vincent Odia maintained that the dredgers do not hold permits to operate on the waterways, saying their activities violate the provisions of the NIWA Act.
“None of these dredgers have any permit to operate on our waterways,” Odia stated.
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