By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Riverine sand miners and Tipper drivers at Onitsha metropolis, Anambra State, Friday, protested against alleged harassment and multiple taxation by some State government officials despite obtaining license and clearance from the federal government.
The protesters, numbering about 150, trooped to the office of Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Onitsha Area office, alleging that members of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA brigade) and government officials from Ogbaru, Oyi, Onitsha North and Onitsha South Council Areas extort them on daily basis even when mining is exclusively under the federal government.
They bore placards of different inscriptions some reading "Prof. Ofoegbu allow tipper drivers and sand miners to live," "OCHA brigade allow us to thrive in our business," "Tipper drivers contribute most in Anambra State Internally Generated Revenue," "Enough is enough: we can't tolerate over taxation and intimidation again," "Our activities are not illegal, we are legal sand miners," among others.
The President General, Riverine Sand Miners Association of Nigeria, Sir Chris Mbaegbu, unveiled their operating licenses, certificates and rights of waves obtained from the regulatory federal government agencies, including the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
"We are helping the federal government in dredging the River Niger yet we are not complaining. We pay our dues to the federal government authorised agencies and were given license and clearance to operate. But despite this, officers of the State government and Local government agencies are extorting us daily.
"A week today, the OCHA brigade came and carried over our 20 tippers, including workers, loaders and excavators, and locked them up to suffer. We paid between N300,000 and above before they were freed. We don't know what else to do because we have pleaded with them to tell us what they actually want but they refused," he stated.
Also speaking, a sand miner, Chief Uche Okafor urged governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene as he was not sure he would allow people engaging in legitimate businesses to suffer untold hardship as OCHA Brigade and other agents of government have inflicted on them.
According to him, OCHA Brigade members have been scaring away customers (drivers) from their beaches because whenever they invade they would arrest everyone in sight, seizing their mining machines and demand payment before they could be set free.
"On one occasion, they punctured the tubes and tyres of my machine before they could dove away with it. Sometimes, they damage one thing or the other. There is no time they came that I didn't spend up to one million Naira in repairing my machine after paying a fine to recover them. Our customers are scared to come here because of them," he stated.
Also speaking, the State Chairman of Tipper Drivers Association, Chief Augustine Akigwe, described the situation as a worrisome, noting that his members had been arrested and taxed severally even when they paid their dues to relevant authorities.
Akigwe, who said they pay between N1500 and above on each trip, asked governor Chukwuma Soludo to prevail on his officers to halt multiple taxation, arrest and harassment which according to him, had endangered the lives of those under medication when arrested.
"Personally, I wrote a letter to the governor to tell us where to operate as tipper drivers and where not to operate. I have also written to OCHA Brigade and Professor Charles Ofoegbu (Managing Director of Anambra State Solid Mineral Development Company Limited). But they keep on referring me from one place to another. We should not be treated this way. They should tell us what they want and stop arresting and tormenting us," he stated.
Responding, the Area Manager, NIWA, Onitsha Office, Sir Victor Nwokeocha, described the State government officers harassing tipper drivers and sand miners as reckless, irresponsible and nonchalant, and urged governor Soludo to call them to order.
"Why intimidating people we issued with operating licences and clearances to operate? It is reckless, irresponsible and nonchalant. We are authorised with exclusive rights to regulate all the activities of the internal waterways. You can see our rights and functions in sections 9 and 13 of our Act. We don't know why the OCHA Brigade, and Ogbaru, Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Oyi local government areas are harassing them.
"I have personally written to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the State House Assembly and others but no response. The governor should call their people to order. I have reported to the management of NIWA and I will still inform them when I get to Abuja next week. I will give them the petitions written by both the sand miners and tipper drivers individually and collectively. I know that the office will act accordingly," he stated.
But the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, OCHA Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere, dismissed the allegations of over taxation and harassment and urged the sand miners and Tipper drivers to register with the State government for payment of their IGR since they operate in the State.