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Unless the Anambra State Government urgently rescinds its decision, there are fears that over 8,500 river sand miners and their workers may have been displaced, while the state loses over N21 million weekly, following the banning of sand mining and sealing of all sandpits by the state government.

South-East PUNCH findings also showed that no fewer than 500 tipper drivers in Anambra State, working with river sand miners in the state, have transferred their services to other neighbouring states where sand is mined, following the Anambra State government’s ban on river sand mining activities.

The Anambra State government, had through a public notice, jointly signed by the Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Anthony Ifeanya; Commissioner for Environment, Dr Felix Odimegwu; Managing Director, Anambra State Solid Mineral Development Company Limited, Prof. Charles Ofoegbu, and Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof Sylvia Chika Ifemeje, directed sand miners in the state to stop all sand mining activities, pending their clearance by the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals Resources and Ministry of Environment.

The notice also directed all the sand miners to register with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, together with their dredging/mining equipment.

The government claimed in the public notice that the sand miners are involved in illegal operations and other sundry offences that harm their host communities’ environment.

However, the sand miners denied and dismissed all the allegations levelled against them by the state government as not holding water, saying that all their operations and activities were approved and operational licenses issued to them.

They insisted that their activities were supervised daily by the Federal Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals Development, together with the National Inland Waterway Authority.

They rather accused the state government of making frantic efforts since 2015 without success to take control of the Federal Government’s duty over them.

The sand miners also presented to journalists all their operational licenses and receipts of all the payments they made to the Federal Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals Development, and NIWA which authorised their sand mining activities.

Addressing journalists through their Chairman, Board of Trustees, Sir Christopher Mbaegbu, during their meeting in Onitsha, members of the Sand Miners Association of Anambra State, said they couldn’t have been operating in the state without approval from the Federal Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals Development, and NIWA.

Mbaegbu described the ‘illegal operation’ allegation against them as an attempt to divert attention, intimidate and blackmail them, to take their job or cow them into submission by the state authorities for extortion of money from them.

He described the banning of all sand mining activities in the state and the sealing of their sand pits as counterproductive action that benefits neither the state government nor the sand miners.

He said, “We are losing money, the state government is also losing millions of naira, it should be getting from us on a daily and weekly basis to the governments of neighbouring states, where sand mining activities are ongoing.

“We pay the Anambra State government N1,000 for every six cubics of tipper loaded with sand, while the state also gets N4,000 from each 10 tyres tipper that lifts sand in the state. More than 3,000 trips of sand are lifted daily from the sealed sand pits and beaches and the state is currently losing over N21 million per week for the ban it placed on sand mining and sealing of our sand pits in the state.

“The action of the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals Resources and Ministry of Environment, banning our activities amounts to working against the government of Anambra State. We, therefore, urge Governor Charles Soludo to lift the ban without further delay, as it is not only against us and the state government but also has a chain reaction effect of halting all building activities by individuals and groups in the state.

He added, “Traders of building materials are also suffering a decline in their sales due to the halt in building construction because of the ban placed on sand mining activities in the state.

“We think that if the state government wants us to assist in any way, which we have been doing through paying taxes, levies and other government-imposed duties, the wise step is not banning our activities. We can be operating while negotiating with the government on areas to contribute and assist the state.

“Banning our activities when we have two Federal Government agencies that supervised our activities, and at the same time calling us for negotiation and giving us conditions to meet before we could be allowed to operate in the state is infringing on our federal government given right. It is also placing the cart before the horse, the governor should call those behind this action to order.”

It was also gathered that the state government has given the sand miners conditions for clearance before they can operate, such conditions include registration with the state government through the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Jerome Udoji Secretariat Complex Phase II, Awka.

Other conditions are submission of completed form to the Mining Reforms Committee Desk at the Government House Awka, providing registered operational office in Anambra; evidence of company registration (CAC) documents; documented operation staff in Anambra State; valid title (Small Scale Mining Lease) or Mining Lease Quarry Lease, (Sand Quarry Lease) Title Grant; evidence of lease application to the Nigerian Mining Cadastra Office Abuja (where applicable).

They are also to provide detailed geological reports with reserve estimation; mine design and production rate; EIA or Environmental Audit Report and EMP; and community development agreement; evidence of implementation of CDA and evidence of payment of mineral royalties to the Federal Government from where the state is paid 13 per cent derivation fund, as other requirements to meet before they would be allowed to operate in the state.

Earlier, the sand miners had through their lawyer, Ben Chuks Udoh, written to the Minister of Environment and Solid Minerals Development in Abuja, demanding clarification.

Udoh’s letter is also seeking clarification on whether there is any law that has divested the ministry of her authority in dealing with solid minerals development and the granting of mining leases, just as to know, following the directive of the Anambra State government to sand miners in the state, will in any way undermine the authority and position of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Solid Mineral Development.

The letter also wanted clarification on whether the Federal Ministry of Environmental and Solid Mineral Development was put on notice by the Anambra State government in connection with the letter/circular from the Anambra State Ministry of Information, banning all sand mining activities in the state.

Udoh also wanted to know the official position of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Solid Mineral Development in connection with the directive of the Anambra State government.

He reminded the minister that the Anambra State government by its action deprived and denied the sand miners the capacity to be able to pay royalties due payable to the Federal Government, just as the ability to take care of their families in the face of economic realities.

The sand miners on their part wrote to the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterway Authority, complaining that the state government had entered into the Right of Way Permit it gave them, and kept harassing them through arrests of their members and have started collecting tolls on the Right of Way NIWA gave them, claiming that it is state land and not Federal Government’s land.

The letter which was signed by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sand Miners Association of Anambra State, Sir Christopher Mbaegbu and the Secretary, Obiora Chukwuma, was copied to the NIWA Area Manager, the three senators representing Anambra state, the members representing Onitsha North/South federal constituency and his Ogbaru counterpart, also questioned if the Right of Way given to sand miners in the state still falls within the authority of NIWA, which is within the control of the Federal government.

The letter further added, “It is on this note that we have to notify you that the very Right of Way permit that NIWA has continually been issuing to us and our members have completely been taken over by the Anambra State government and we urged NIWA to act fast.

“We wish to categorically state that the allegation that we are causing erosion is not true because we operate with River Craft Boat and Dredgers. The two pieces of equipment are movable, we can move from Anambra to Delta and Kogi State to bring sand into Anambra State. So the claim that our activities were causing erosion is a lie from the pit of hell.

“Our problem started on March 11, 2024, when Onitsha South Local Government Transition Chairman, Mr Emeka Orji, came with men of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra State, OCHA Brigade, invaded Ose Ogbe Ijaw sand dumping site along Niger Street and after that, they continued invasion of other sites and then started destruction of the beaches and machines, claiming to be acting on the instruction of the governor.

“We have made several efforts to meet the governor through written applications and direct contacts but we have not been allowed to see him, All efforts we made to see the governor were blocked.

“We are using this medium to appeal to Governor Soludo to lift the ban on sand mining in the state and call the river sand miners to a meeting. We are helping the state to stop crime in the state with thousands of unemployed youth who have been removed from the streets. Returning them to the streets with this ban on our activities is dangerous to the state.”