By Francis Sadhere
The recent petition against the Delta State Ministry of Environment over alleged illegal collection of fees from Saw-millers and Wood dealers written by the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), have torn wood dealers in the state apart as the Association of Wood Dealers of Nigeria (AWODON), have dissociated themselves from the petition.
The association stressed that the claim by the CDHR boss, Comrade Kehinde Prince Taiga against the Honourable Commissioner that he was fraudulently extorting money from wood traders in Delta State was not true, adding that it was a false accusation of an innocent man.
In a statement signed by Comrade Akpobaro Anthony, Comrade Ishelegwu Innocent, Comrade Timothy Laya, Chairman, Secretary and PRO of AWODON respectively, the Association dissociated itself from the purported petition, saying the Association was not privy to the said complaint and does not share the views of the petitioners on the matter.
Reacting to a news story in some national dailies (not THE AUTHORITY) with the caption “CDHR accuses Delta Govt of Illegal Collection from Saw-Millers,” the Association stated that the allegation was being peddled by operators of hand motor saws for cutting of woods and saw millers, explaining that those behind the allegations were mischief-makers.
We believe it is coming from disgruntled elements who are not prepared to follow the proper regulation of the trade in wood business. We have neither received any complaints of extortion or imposition or collection of fraudulent fees from our members.
“The claim by the Chairman of CDHR is totally false and we use this medium to call on the group to cross check their facts properly before wrongly accusing innocent persons in the media. We commend the mature and transparent manner the Honourable Commissioner for Environment has been handling the Ministry since he resumed office, the statement added.
AWODON also condemned the attitude of dragging all stakeholders into an issue that does not affect all those in the wood business saying, “how can we in the Association of Wood Dealers of Nigeria lodge such a petition against government when we are not affected in anyway by the payment of daily fees for wood felling or haullages?
“We pay our annual dues and once you are up to date with your dues, no task force will trouble any lorry or truck taking woods from your shop to any destination. It is therefore our sincere appeal for handsaw operators to abide by the rules of the game instead of crying wolf where there is none,” the statement added.
It will be recalled that the petition against the state environment commissioner had resulted in the banning of all forms of wood cutting in the state’s forest reserves by the commissioner for Environment, Barr. Nani.
