Diri Warns Against Illegal Black Sand Mining, Moves To Establish Regulatory Agency

The Bayelsa State Government has revealed plans to establish a State Waterways Agency in order to regulate activities on its waterways towards protecting the environment from harmful environmental practices.

Hotnews gathered that speaking during the 189th State Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, Governor Douye Diri said the move follows a landmark Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the rights of Bayelsa and Lagos to control and manage above-surface activities on the states waterways.

Governor Diri explained that the state’s Attorney-General has been directed to study the judgment and provide the legal framework for establishing the agency, which will oversee activities such as the transportation and extraction of black sand and other resources on Bayelsa’s waterways.

The state helmsman further issued a stern warning against illegal and unregulated black sand mining, stressing that while his administration supports youth employment and economic empowerment, all resource extraction must be conducted legally and sustainably.

He expressed concern over the environmental risks associated with indiscriminate black sand mining, including erosion, environmental degradation, and the destruction of coastal ecosystems.

According to him, Bayelsa must avoid repeating the environmental damage caused by decades of oil and gas exploration.

Governor Diri revealed that some operators, including foreign nationals, had been extracting and transporting black sand from the state’s waterways and coastal areas without proper authorization.

He emphasized that such activities would no longer be tolerated.

To ensure effective regulation, the governor disclosed that a bill would soon be forwarded to the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to provide legal backing for government actions on waterways management and resource extraction.

He further directed the Ministries of Environment and Information, Orientation and Strategy to intensify public awareness campaigns on responsible natural resource management and government policies regarding black sand mining.

On electricity supply, Governor Diri appealed to residents for patience as the state continues to expand power distribution under its independent power project, noting that recent outages were caused by infrastructure upgrades and gas supply disruptions resulting from pipeline leakage.

The Governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that Bayelsa’s natural resources are harnessed responsibly for the benefit of present and future generations while safeguarding the environment.

~ Hot News Reporters
Wednesday, 24, June, 2026