14022018 - Workers flee as herdsmen overrun LG offices in Ondo

28— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Ezeife advises Igbos
to think home
C
M
Y
K
VOL. 2 NO. 18
ABAKALIKI-IT was
indeed a show of
patriotism, dedication
to duty and call to secure the
future of the younger
generation that compelled
Ebonyi State Government in
collaboration with the
Nigerian Army, the Nigeria
Police Force and Department
of Security Services, DSS,
Wednesday, to clamp down on
the activities of illegal miners
in the state.
These categories of persons
had over the years, before the
coming on board of the
Governor David Umahi-led
administration, been ripping
off the state illegally by
making huge financial gains
without recourse to the law
governing such operations in
the state.
Ebonyi, without mincing
words, is rich in granite, zinc,
lead, salt, limestone, oxide,
among other natural deposits
and because of its richness
and naivety before Engr.
David Umahi resumed office
as governor of the state, many
disgruntled elements who
only think about their
personal gains without the
collective interest of Ebonyi
people decided to go on
rampage, making earnings
without the noticeable inputs
of state government.
Reacting to this ugly trend,
the Governor had threatened
to stop the salaries of any
traditional ruler who failed to
furnish the state government
with the location and records
of its mining sites in the state.
Some traditional rulers and
stakeholders in some local
government areas of the state,
including Abakaliki, Izzi,
Onicha, Ivo, among others,
are allegedly collecting
revenues from illegal miners
without the consent of the
state government.
The governor who handed
down the warning during the
handing over of staffs of office
to some traditional rulers in
three local government areas
of the state and swearing in
of liaison officers at the Akanu
Ibiam International
Conference Centre, Abakaliki,
stressed that his
administration would not
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
IGR: How security operatives
clamped down on 16 illegal
miners, 6 expatriates in Ebonyi
•a soldier told me if I go near, he will shoot me – SA
on Solid minerals
•it could be someone wearing military camouflage,
not a soldier – Cantonment commander
By Peter Okutu
*Arrested illegal miners
mortgage the future of Ebonyi
children on the platter of
greed and selfishness.
He said: “We have been
having battles with those who
are mining in Ebonyi State
without paying their levies to
us; these people are working
under the cover of the
traditional rulers. We want to
let you know that I mean
business. I want the chairman
of the Traditional Rulers
Council to note that in the
month of February, any
traditional ruler that fails to
give me all the mining points
in his community, I will stop
the person’s salary and I will
be moving towards his staff of
office.
“We can’t eat the future of
our children. If we continue
like this, the future of our
children will be eroded. We
can’t allow that. So let me
warn the traditional rulers;
you have to submit all the
mining points in your
communities.
“Commissioner for Local
Government, Okoronkwo;
will have to hold a meeting
with them and let them know
of my warning, because in
February, I will stop their
salaries and then in March, I
will be moving towards their
— Pg. 29
Site of illegal minning
staffs of office. This is very
important; all the mining sites
with their phone numbers and
locations must be made
available to us.”
Those arrested in connection
with the dastardly act in the
recent raid coordinated by
security operatives at Echara
Unuhu in Abakaliki Local
Government Area of the state
included six Chinese and 16
other persons suspected to be
responsible for the illegal
operations in the area.
Speaking with South-East
Voice, the Senior Special
Adviser, SSA, to Governor
David Umahi on Internal
Security, Dr. Kenneth Ugbala
who condemned the activities
of illegal miners across the
state noted that the state
government would no longer
fold its arms and allow the
fortunes of the state to end up
in private pockets.
“The future of this state is at
stake because of the activities
of these illegal miners. I have
the privilege of being in China
and Chinese don’t tamper
with their environment no
matter what the problem may
be. With the type of problem
created here in the name of
mining, it is possible that this
tunnel they created must have
passed underground to
Excitement in Anambra as work
begins on abandoned Otuocha-
Anam – Kogi federal road
BY VINCENT UJUMADU
AWKA -THERE was
excitement in Anambra
West Local Government Area of
Anambra State following the
return to site of the contractor
handling the Otuocha-Anam-
Kogi federal road abandoned
several years ago.
Before the project was
abandoned in 2009, a
whopping N2.5 billion was said
to have been spent on the road
with nothing to show for it.
However, following the efforts
of the member representing
Anambra East and West in the
House of Representatives, Dr.
Tony Nwoye, who facilitated
the release of funds to the
contractor by the executive arm
of government, work has
resumed in earnest.
Nwoye, who inspected the
project with officials of the
Federal Ministry of Works and
community leaders in the area
said the National Assembly has
approved N1.8 billion to be
spent on the road this fiscal
year, with assurance that funds
would continue to be released
to ensure that work would
continue ceaselessly until it was
completed.
When South-East Voice
visited the area, the contractor,
Nigercat Ltd, was working on
a major bridge along the
road. It is expected that when
completed, journey from
Anambra State to Abuja would
be reduced to about three
hours, instead of about seven
hours which it presently takes
from Anambra, through Enugu
to Benue and then Kogi to
Abuja.
Hon. Nwoye said he decided
to make the road his
constituency priority project
because the people of the area,
who are mainly farmers, were
suffering so much as they often
found it difficult to transport
their produce to the cities at the
end of every farming season
due to bad roads.
Nwoye said: “This is not a
political matter. It is something
that is very dear to me because
I remember the support the
people of Anambra West gave
me when I contested election.
“I have been meeting
stakeholders to find a solution
to the road as I am determined
to ensure its completion and I
am very happy that the
contractors have moved to site.
“We inspected this road on
Continues on Page 29
Government House and every
other place that Ebonyi
people are living.
“So, what do we expect? A
total collapse! When we are
living up, another road is
underground in the name of
mining and there is no society
or environment or state that
this type of thing is seen. It is
not as if they pay IGR and
when you come to IGR, what
type of IGR will even be more
important than the future of
our children and the entire
people of the state? We will
make sure that we fish out all
these people. As SSA on
internal security, I am seeing
this thing for the first time. It
is a threat to our
environment,” he said.
On her part, Special
Adviser to Governor Umahi
on Solid Mineral
Development, Mrs.
Nwakaego Nworie said she
had visited the site with
geological experts and that
the miners allowed them to
enter only the premises but
prevented them from
carrying out a holistic
overview of their activities.
“I became very curious and
insisted that I must see the
whole site. As I moved inside
the site, I got to a place and a
soldier blocked me and
threatened to shoot me if I
moved any further. The
soldier told me, 'don’t go to
that extreme.' That day, I saw
the tunnel even though I was
prevented from going close to
it.
“Today, I am overwhelmed
that I have seen the tunnel of
mining for the first time in my
life. I made investigation to
know if our office is aware of
this tunnel and no one could
give me information. Before
an underground mining can
take place, there must be a
bye-law and mutual
agreement between the host
state and investor. But now,
we are not aware of
underground here and it is
worrisome,” she said.
One of the suspects,
Nnamdi Peter who hails from
Enugu said he has worked in
the mining tunnel for three
months.
“In the first place, I don’t
know this is illegal mining. If
it is illegal, I wouldn’t have
been working here. The
company should have carried
out Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) with
NESRA before embarking on
this type of mining.”