Nigeria’s Minister for Works, Hon. David Umahi has stated that the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, owns and controls 250 meters of the Waterways from the point of the shoreline across the Federation.
The minister noted that this is in line with the the waterways act and the recent supreme court judgment which gave the right of the ownership of the shoreline to the Federal Government through NIWA.
The Minister stated these while reacting to questions from journalists on the proposed Coastal Line monitored on a national television, Arise TV.
He said the Federal Government out of magnanimity is taking some meters out of the corridor to construct the planned Coastal Line which will be for the benefit of all Nigerians when completed.
Speaking on buisness owners around the corridor, the Minister said the Federal Government through NIWA has been magnanimous enough to to take some meters out of the 250 meters belonging to NIWA for the Coastal Line, stressing that the FG could have decided to take everything going by the Supreme Court judgement.
In his words, “The recent Supreme Court judgement gave the right of the ownership of the shoreline to the Federal Government under the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, 250meters from the point of the shoreline belongs to the FG under NIWA which means the land belongs to the FG.
“But still, this is a Government that is interested in investment, the Tinubu administration will never scare investors, we are interested in investment and investors and we are happy with the investment going on there, but we are taking some meters of that shore line and its irrevocable.
“To develop our Coastal Line, the Federal Government through NIWA have been magnanimous enough to reduce the corridor to ensure that businesses and and residents are not affected where as we could have decided to take everything or ask them to pay.
“This land we are talking about is not under my Ministry, so I am just talking as a Federal Government agency to procure a part of the land of the FG to do my Coastal Line”.
Contrary to rumours that businesses will be demolished and people will loose jobs, Hon. Umahi assured that no business will be demolished and nobody will loose their jobs.
