By Francis Ajuonuma
The Imo State Government has declared an environmental emergency in Owerri and ordered an immediate ban on all forms of mining and dredging within the capital territory.
Commissioner for Industry, Mines, and Solid Minerals, Ernest Ibejiako, who announced the measure for Owerri, said it followed years of unregulated excavation that had devastated the environment, triggered floods, and led to the collapse of critical infrastructure.
“Enough is enough. The government and good people of Imo State can no longer fold their arms and watch the indiscriminate devastation of our capital territory,” Ibejiako warned.
He described the decision as a last-resort move after repeated bans in 2017 and 2019 were ignored by illegal operators, adding that the Owerri River, once a narrow stream, had now been “dangerously widened to oceanic proportions” through uncontrolled dredging.
According to him, bridges, roads, and the perimeter fences of public institutions such as Alvan Ikoku University have already been damaged. At the same time, several communities and farmlands are under threat of flooding.
The commissioner said Governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration had formally written to the Federal Government seeking the revocation of all mining licences issued within the Owerri Capital Territory under the Land Use Act of 1978.
He added that offenders will face prosecution under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007, emphasising that the state will no longer “sacrifice environmental safety on the altar of illegality or federal licensing.”
“Let us save Owerri now or risk losing her forever,” he declared.
Ibejiako praised the Minister of Solid Minerals Development for responding swiftly by dispatching federal officials to assess the damage, adding that the state remains open to responsible mining activities outside the capital territory, provided they comply with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental Management Plans (EMP), and Community Development Agreements (CDA).
