By Okey Maduforo Awka.
Over 158 make shift shots currently under construction by the National Inland Water Ways NIWA along the River Niger banks are to be demolished by the Anambra state government.
The shops according to Gov Charles Soludo during a tour of five major roads constructed by his administration in Onitsha South local government area has no approval of the state government.
Soludo further contended that those NIWA has right of way of 100 metres from the banks of the River Niger it has no right to construct any building or allocate same to anyone without the approval of the state government.
“What is going on here ? No no no the National Inland Water Ways NIWA has no such right because this is Anambra state and this is Anambra land ”
“Yes by law NIWA has a right of way of 100 metres from the river but it has no right to start building or constructing shops here because it is against the law establishing NIWA and it doesn’t have the approval of the state government ”
Soludo directed the Transition Committee Chairman of Onitsha South local government area Chief Emeka Joseph Orji to immediately carry out the demolition of those shops with immediate effect.
“Chairman first thing in the morning get the bulldozers to demolished those shops and next time I come here I don’t want to see them again and they do not have the powers or the right to construct those shops” he said.
Recall that the Onitsha South local government Council have been having a run battle with NIWA over the ownership of the lands close to the River Niger which had lingered for about a year now and with the submissions of Gov Charles Soludo this has put a seal over the dispute.
Soludo also banned tipper drivers mining sand at the River Niger to stop passing through the Niger road recently constructed ordering the construction of barricades to prevent the tippers from using the road.
“I discover that the tipper drivers that come to mine sand at the River Niger are using this road but today they are banned from using this road ”
“We have completed the construction of Niger , Silas works and Portharcourt road as well as two other roads under construction in Onitsha South local government area and we are doing more ”
“After constructing the roads they would come to spoil our road and we will not allow that anymore and we shall put barricades at strategic areas to prevent them and for trucks that carry goods to offload at the main market we shall allow them to pass but the tipper drivers will have to follow the water ways” he noted
