Rivers’ Communities Write NLNG, Demand Stoppage Of Dredging

Five communities in Bonny local government area of Rivers State have written to the NLNG Limited, demanding a halt in the ongoing sand-mining and dredging of the Abalamabie Creek, which connects them.

The communities, which include LongJohn, Hart, Jumbo, Pepple and Allison, insisted that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval must be obtained from the Rivers State Ministry of Environment or Federal Ministry of Environment before commencing the project.

The letter addressed to the NLNG managing director was written on behalf of the communities by the Bonny Improvement Association (BIA) and signed by the association’s president and secretary, Prof.  Sodienye Abere and Evangelist Godwin Jumbo.

The letter reads in part, “We write to you as the foremost Bonny Community Based organisation (founded 1919) and, palpably engrossed with advocacy for the advancement and overall well-being of the Bonny community over the years.

“We want to formally express our ardent protest against the current dredging operations being carried out by your contractor, Chairborne Global Services Limited in the Abalamabie  community creek in the Bonny LGA of Rivers State.

“The aforementioned dredging activity commenced without any prior consultation with community Stakeholders, and to the best of our knowledge, without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report approved by either the Federal Ministry of Environment nor, the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, as mandated by the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, Cap E12, LFN, 2004.

“Moreso, contrary to the statutory dictates of National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA Act, Cap N47, LFN, 2004 wherein the mandatory dredging ‘Buffer Zone’ stipulates at least, 100 to 500 meters between the dredger machine and the shoreline; the said Abalamabie community creek is relatively too narrow and, with less than 100 meters width.

“Incidentally, the said sand mining project poses immediate and long term risks to our environmental and socio-economic well-being specifically destruction of fishing grounds and gears as well as threats to coastal erosion and flooding of residential areas.”