From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Minister for Works, David Umahi, has said that the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) owns and controls 250 meters of the waterways from the point of the shoreline across the Federation.
He said the Act about the waterways and the recent Supreme Court judgment gave the right of ownership of the shoreline to the Federal Government through NIWA.
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 Arise TV, Umahi said the Federal Government through NIWA has been magnanimous enough 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 judgment.
“The recent Supreme Court judgment gave the right of the ownership of the shoreline to the Federal Government under the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), 250 meters 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 shoreline and its irrevocable.
“To develop our Coastal Line, the Federal Government through NIWA has been magnanimous enough to reduce the corridor to ensure that businesses and residents are not affected whereas 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,” Umahi said.
Contrary to the rumour that businesses would be demolished and people would lose jobs, Umahi assured that no business would be demolished and nobody would lose their jobs.