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Prologue
It was Sir Fredrick Lord Lugard, the British colonial Governor - General who, in 1914, amalgamated the northern and southern protectorates into what is today known as Nigeria, the most populous black nation on earth. Of various physical and geographical features adorning the vast expanse of land for which Nigeria is known in Africa and beyond, River Niger remains the most outstanding. Taking its rise from the mountain ranges of Futa Djallon in old Upper Volta (present Burkina Faso), the great river, in its restless course into the Atlantic ocean southwards, forms a confluence with River Benue before the steady journey into the high seas through a network of tributaries dissecting the vast natural wetlands to form Nigeria's Delta region reputed for its huge crude oil deposits. However, there has been a problem. What kind of problem, you may ask. Over time, massive silt build-up has constituted a major obstruction to free flow of the huge waters into the Atlantic Ocean. And even local people along the coast now take pleasure in erecting shanties and tents on the massive sand banks in the middle of what used to be great depths. This and other factors have given rise to the subsisting clamour to do one thing: dredge the Niger.
The call to dredge the Niger has been on since the 1950s. To the Nigerian authorities, this will boost regional and international shipping, trade and transport along the coast. It will also promote inland waterways transportation as well as enhance the implementation of mainland, offshore and inland cabotage in Nigeria. Dredging River Niger, it is also believed, would translate into unfathomable economic benefits to the advantage of the riverine communities and the entire country at large.
But despite the compelling need for this exercise, the Ijaw Minority Group, an ethnic riverine community along the bank who have, over the ages, depended on the River Niger for their economic well-being, fear that it may jeopardize their continued existence. They have therefore continued to criticize the dredging plans, saying it would seriously disorganize their ecosystem, thereby worsening the environmental degradation occasioned by 50 years of oil exploration in their milieu. Consequently, they have vowed to resist any move in this direction.
Plans to dredge the Niger have been on government's priority from the various military regimes of the past to the present civilian dispensation of President Obasanjo. But it appears definite efforts have not yet been made to convince the local people who dwell on the banks that the project will ultimately enhance their overall fortunes. Even now, it is not clear if the authorities have carried out any environmental impact assessment of the project, let alone committing and disseminating its funds to reassure the populace that on the whole, it would be beneficial to them. Instead, the government appears to give the unsettling impression that its sole focus is on the economic advantages without any con vincing consideration for the economic and environmental consequences especially for the rural people whose agitation against it has continued to mount by the day. As at yet, there is no evidence that government is going to comply with the aspect of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act, which encourages public participation in the environmental assessment of such projects. This aspect of the law recognizes that such assessments are best handled with inputs from those that would be directly affected. Public perception is that government has, for whatever reasons, delayed the commencement of the project for so long despite glowing pronouncements on its readiness for the job. Environmental and industry watchers who spoke to D&E are emphatic that government should come out boldly to put the cards face up on the table and, perhaps, frontally address fears and reservations the coastal people have continued to nurse. But while the waiting game continues, Kogi, one of the six states located in Nigeria's central belt, cannot afford to wait any longer to have River Niger dredged. Their enthusiasm knows no bounds! Appearing to overlook the fears of the ethnic Ijaw and other nationalities along the lower stretch of the great river, the people and government of Kogi state created in 1991, warmly look forward to a time the river would be dredged. Are they looking forward to the huge economic and social gains this transformation stands to provide for them, since they own Lokoja, the state capital and point of confluence between the two natural landmarks? Hon. Saidu Akawu Salihu, astute administrator and Kogi state commissioner for water resources since 2005, sums up the people's feelings: "We are looking forward to the proposed dredging of the Niger and we do hope that this will come to pass and the economy of this place will be boosted once more. We've been seriously waiting for that", he said in an exclusive interview with D&E in Lokoja.
He recalled that even during the colonial era, Lokoja, the ancient town, was the melting pot for people of various tribes in Nigeria. It was renowned in commerce principally on account of numerous natural advantages offered by the confluence of rivers Niger and Benue. Lokoja also provided a safe haven for numerous British colonial administrators, including Lord Lugard, the Governor- General who, in 1914, had the rare privilege of amalgamating the northern and southern protectorates into modern Nigeria. Among other deeply informative revelations, Salihu gave an insight into various angles of the dredging project, at least from the perspective of the Kogi people and the efforts of the state government to make potable water available to the citizens, using natural resources provided by the great River Niger on whose banks Lokoja comfortably sits.
Kogi is a confluence state for Rivers Niger and Benue and is geographically unique in this regard. What challenges and opportunities are available with this marine resource in your state?
Incidentally the history of the people and settlement around Lokoja (the state capital) is closely tied to the confluence of the river Niger and Benue. And that is the very first challenge thrown up because Lokoja as it is today, is made up of people of various backgrounds, cultures and tribes and they have been here for quite some time now. Since the early 19th century, a lot of people have come from various backgrounds and the point of attraction has been the two rivers. We have a familyof sailors, fishermen and traders in this place. They've gone up to two generations now. So, this is one challenge - a challenge more in the living together of this people, ensuring harmony among these various people and of course the economy - harmonizing the interests of the various tribes and people around there, making sure that they live in harmony and practise their trades because mostly, it's been commerce and trade that made them come around here. The other challenges are trying to harness the potentials these two rivers have to offer in terms of the resources available - is it fishing, is it using the water for industrial and domestic purposes? So, here we are. We have two great rivers here and we believe very strongly that this place could be great if the potentials and resources available could be harnessed and that brings us to the fame that Lokoja used to enjoy before. Here used to be a river port in the colonial times and eventually it dried up and that has really affected the commercial nature of the place. So, a very serious challenge it puts on us now is to revive this old glory. One could recall that Lord Lugard and all colonial governors in the northern protectorate had this place as their capital. You remember the Royal Niger Company, the GBO: the reason was simply the fact that imported products during the colonial times could be brought northwards from the coast down here and also the raw materials from the north could be gathered and shipped down to the coastal ports. So, it had this glorious time. I think the challenge before us now, and I think it is very overwhelming, is to really recall back those moments of the past that made Lokoja very great.
The marshy stretch of the bank of River Niger on the approach drive into Lokoja apparently lies waste. Is the state government doing anything specific on that place either for agriculture, rice farming or fishing?
When the water is at its peak during the rainy season, these places are covered. If you observe, you could see the road dualisation with an embankment being constructed. That embankment is for purposes of containing the upsurge of water at its peak. And it could be very turbulent - when the river is at its peak. Whether it could be used for farming? If you have to farm there, maybe you have to harvest before the water comes. But then talking about farming, we have fadama programmes in other lakes and tributaries that flow into the Niger. In Koton Karfe, the next local government on the highway to Abuja, you find some of these belts. They are wet belts and they are used mostly for rice farming, okro, vegetables, etc. We have even Hausa people coming from far north to farm along this belt. But the place you're talking about, at the peak of the wet season, it is always flooded with water.
Could you pinpoint specific areas where the opportunity offered by the confluence gives Kogi State a platform to develop? What specific developmental programmes are you looking at?
Let me state first and foremost that the people of this area are mostly agrarian economists. Their major source of income is farming and fishing. And you see those villages on the bank of River Niger, they are rice farmers that really utilize the belt for agricultural production and that is why here, food production is very high. Secondly, we have a programme right now and of course, the Niger has been a source of water to us in the metropolis. But we still feel we could maximize this advantage. We are drawing both for domestic and industrial purposes, a project, a treatment plant that will give us 10 million gallons per day and I think it will put paid to the problem of water supply in Lokoja. And like I said, here used to be great in commerce. We are looking forward to the proposed dredging of the Niger too and we hope that this will come to pass and the economy of this place (Lokoja and Kogi state) will be boosted once more. We've been seriously waiting for that. So, essentially, we run an agrarian economy here and we realty utilize the Niger for it. By the time it is dredged, there will be much haulage and it will improve commerce. And more importantly and very basic is the fact that we utilize the two rivers for our source of water supply, for both domestic and industrial purposes.
That brings us to the issue of the dredging of River Niger, which has been on the drawing board for quite sometime now. We know it is a federal project. But as a
State, what is your disposition to it?
Of course, like I mentioned before, we are all looking forward to it because, head or tail, the advantages we are able to reap from it will be more. The headquarters of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is based here in Lokoja and the state government by way of trying to afford them comfortable accommodation for their operations gave them the places they are occupying today. So, we've opened our arms to really receive them; we've made them to feel at home here and that in itself is a signal of our encouragement of the dredging. W e've been collaborating with NIWA in most of the things they bring up to the state government. I think they will also testify to the fact that they've been at home, they are well accommodated here and we are looking forward to further collaboration as the dredging commences.
In some states such as Lagos, ministries do partner with corporate bodies to execute projects that directly rub off on the ordinary people. Is your ministry doing anything in this regard especially in the area of provision of potable water for the people?
First and foremost, like I mentioned to you from the beginning, we have some fadama projects whereby we are using the river belt for the promotion of certain activities. Apart from NIWA, there have been companies coming up. Chinese and other foreign companies want to get involved in some agricultural products especially rice and of Kogi is a confluence state for Rivers Niger and Benue and is geographically unique in this regard.
The issue of dredging of the Niger has remained on the political front burner right from the era of former head of state, Sani Abacha- to be or not to be. Up till now, the situation persists. How do the government and people of Kogi state perceive this kind of logjam?
When you say the way people feel about it, it depends on the people you are talking about. Up here, we are looking forward to it with so much enthusiasm because, of course, it will stand to benefit us. If the dredging is done, it will really open up this area again economically. This place used to be very famous for economic activities arising from the waterways resources when we had what we used to be known as Inland Waterways Division (IWD). You find some people in Lokoja here of Delta, Edo, Rivers background. They are almost indigenous today. They came as a result of IWD operations. And if this place was that famous because of the commerce arising from the waterways division then, it behoves the people, and that is the general expectation of the people, to really welcome this proposed dredging. But again, we must say something: if you go deep down to the Niger Delta, their own reaction is different and, of course, their focus is also different. They are complaining of the environment and their own ports being neglected over time and now they (the government) are trying to open up other ports somewhere. I think government should try to collate these aggregate opinions about what they want to do because government is about meeting the people's yearnings and satisfying some of these agitations. I think for purposes of mutual co-existence, government needs to look into various complaints and address them. But one thing that is sure is that the most desirable thing to happen to out transportation system in Nigeria is to have this dredging. I think it will really boost the economy. Upland here, we will be able to receive ships from the coast and it will lessen the cost of transportation by road. And of course, the trains have collapsed. Trying to dredge up the Niger and trying to make it a viable means, a viable alternative, is more than ever very necessary now. But I think all the issues there -environmental assessment and whatever - should be put together so that everybody can be happy about it.
Now on governance, how would you rate the administration of Governor Idris Ibrahim in the state in the area of water resources so far?
It smacks of one trying to assess himself. But without being immodest, I will want to say a few things. This government came to power in 2003. (Before) then, the total capacity generation of the waterworks in Lokoja metropolis, for instance, was 700, 000 gallons and since we came in, we have added 1 million gallons to it apart from other small borehole schemes in the estates. So, generally within the metropolis here, there has been a dramatic improvement in water generation and distribution. All over the state, we've been able to identify places with potentials of surface water schemes and right now, we have completed surface water schemes in Abeju Kolo, Dekina, Ayangba, while the Koton Karfe water scheme is 80% completed now, waiting for power generation to take off. We still have some of these parking systems in Omi, Umuni, Odolu - all waiting for the intakes to be constructed. I can say one thing very categorically, and I stand to be challenged by anybody, that since the creation of this state in 1991, no government has paid attention to the question of water like the present government. The problem may be so enormous to the extent that efforts put in so far might not have alleviated the situation. But there is some steady progress. Last July the Kogi state Executive Council accepted a design and an approval was subsequently given to a foreign firm to give us 10 million gallons (of water) per day in the metropolis and I think this is a most radical departure from the retail approach to water supply system. So, the question of water has top priority in the programme of this government. But I must say that the major constraint is the question of funds. If we devote the whole state budget to water supply, we may not even get there. But what we are trying to do now is to open up the state to collaborate with the federal government, World Bank, African Development Bank (ADP) or other agencies of the United Nations that are interested in water supply; the European Commission…they advertised for states that could be assisted. We also put in, and are awaiting their response. So, this effort is a recent one by the state government in full realization of the fact that the question of water supply is capital - intensive and we can't possibly fund it effectively from the federal allocation on monthly basis. Honestly, we have some signals from the federal government for real encouragement and collaboration.
May we know who the Hon. Commissioner is: where you're coming from, your background and so on.
My names are Hon. Saidu Akawu Salihu. I come from Koton Karfe, in Kogi local government area of Kogi state. I hold a B.Sc and MPA from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. I am a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria. I am the chairman of the ABU Alumni Association, Kogi state chapter. I have been in politics since 1998 after a stint in the public service. I was brought to the Ministry of Water Resources, and I've been on the beat since August 2005. That briefly explains my background. So, I can say that in the Nigerian context, I am a politician.
Are you going for any political office from here - elected or appointed? What are your plans from here?
My immediate plans - we have a government we are part of today and I will really want to continue to serve this government. My principal, the Executive Governor, has expressed interest to recontest. So, my immediate political interest is to see that he wins again. I have no intention to contest any election now. We are going to be part and parcel of sustaining democracy in Nigeria and as democracy continues to endure of course one day we'll take a shot at any elective office. But for now, I intend to work for the system; I intend to work for the Governor to win again so that we could continue with our good programmes.
TAKING THE KOGI STATE GOVERNMENT TO TASK
It is common knowledge that in Nigeria various tiers of government prior to the present dispensation at the federal level, made promises of providing basic amenities to the people. In the end, for whatever reasons, they either fulfilled such promises halfway or reneged on them. In most cases, where the projects are completed, what is on ground hardly justify huge financial outlays involved and amenities generally park up shortly after commissioning. There have been allegations of some operatives of government converting funds for such projects for personal use or channeling them into white elephant ventures whose relevance to the real needs of the people remain suspect at the end of the day.
At the third year anniversary of the present Kogi state government, however, the Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, summarized a total of 61 water schemes initiated and completed by the administration across the state. These projects, according to records, gulped a whopping sum of =N=306,008,791 million. The projection was to provide potable water to about 61 communities in the entire state who had, for a long time, existed without clean and reliable sources of water for domestic and individual use. According to the Water Resources Commissioner, Hon. Akawu Salihu, "it (the River Niger) has been a source of water to us in the metropolis. But we still feel we could maximize this advantage. We are drawing from the Niger for both domestic and industrial purposes a project, a treatment plant that will give us 10 million gallons per day…"
But if these projects have really been executed, are the amenities actually functioning at least to justify the huge expenditure on them? What is the reaction of communities where these projects are located? In a situation where ordinary people across the nation generally perceive most government projects as ventures that park up shortly after commissioning, can the Kogi state experiment, especially regarding provision of water installations make a difference? What is the lifespan of these water projects and what are guarantees that the heavy investment will not turn out a colossal waste in the near future due to non-functioning?
River Niger: To Dredge or to Pile?
Between 2005 and October 2006, Nigeria's aviation sector was visited by an incubus that left on its trail sorrow, tears and woes that may hang in the air for a long time to come. It was a time when serial plane crashes resulted in the loss of about 220 civilian lives plus about 12 top ranking military officers involved in a separate mishap near the Cross River/Benue border.
Perhaps, this scenario prompted President Obasanjo at a recent Federal Executive Council meeting to decry what he referred to as prolonged neglect of the nation's waterways at a great cost to the economy and the people.
Did he imply that had the waterways been put into effective use, the rush to fly by the people would be scaled down? Perhaps this can be deducted from emotions the president and many other well-meaning Nigerians have been pouring out ever since. He regretted that waterways and rail transport, which would have served as cheaper alternatives to air and road, have been neglected. At a recent parley with the media, Nigeria's Information Minister, Frank Nweke, confirmed the revocation of the =N=8 billion contract awarded to Julius Berger Plc and five other firms in 1996 by the defunct PTF to dredge the Lower Niger. However, what appears a glimmer of hope that the proposed dredging of river Niger would see the light of the day after all came late November when Nigeria's minister of state for transport stated that inland waterways feasibility report was under preparation while river port development and dredging of lower Niger -Benue river system was about kicking off. He was speaking at the flagging off ceremony of Nigeria's railway modernization project from Lagos to Kano.
Decree No. 13 of 1997 empowers the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, to develop the inland waterways of Nigeria for safe navigation and provide alternative mode of transportation for the evacuation of economic goods and persons. It is also mandated to provide ferry services, grant licences to waterways operators, undertake the construction, administration and maintenance of river ports.
By and large, industry watchers have continued to note with concern that the capital project of dredging the Niger is yet to take off and while what can be interpreted to mean an endless waiting game subsists, people have continued to ask questions and hazard guesses. In fact, suggestions as to what should be done have continued to dominate discussions among concerned Nigerians. At the NIWA zonal office in Lokoja, Kogi state, most of the technical people who operate available ferries across the Niger would prefer massive piling in addition to dredging. They quickly refer to River Mississippi in the US, which they say is rougher than the Niger, but was successfully dredged through what they refer to as massive piling.
Piling?
Piling involves straightening the crooked and rugged river channel before dredging out the sand along the waterway to fill up adjoining areas. This paves way for the bottom base soil to wash down. NIWA Lokoja zonal secretary of Nigerian Merchant Navy and Senior Staff Association, Comrade N.I. Ibrahim expects the federal government to pile before dredging so as to enhance the economy and living standard of people inhabiting the Niger and beyond. According to him, if a river channel is too wide, it can be reduced by straightening and bridging the sides. This will prevent rapid silting. The main thing is to make it straight so that vessels can sail through with little or no impediments. On waterweeds that have overtaken the sea this season, he said NIWA has acquired water hyacinth boats to clear them. According to him, these vessels are presently in Igbokoda and upstream Yauri doing such work.
Comrade K.O. Sule, national vice president of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, NIWA zone says labour within the maritime industry enjoys a harmonious relationship with the management. He says labour complements activities of management to maintain a healthy labour setting in NIWA. "We make sure that we are adequately represented at levels where decisions are taken with respect to welfare of staff so as to ensure that we are not left behind. Our promotions are not delayed. Importance is attached to our salary and you know without a consistent payment of salary, you cannot plan.
The protracted arrangement to dredge River Niger?
"Those of us around this place (the headquarters) are not hearing about this issue for the first time. At about 1978 up to 1980, there was a similar exercise but it was like dredging sand into the river again. So we believe this time around it is not going to be like that. Before 1978, we used to have a year- round line of ferries around this site. But suddenly after that dredging, the entire channel got blocked. But if this one is going to be different from what we experienced that time, then it is going to be better for us. Most of us here are very skeptical about it. Enough publicity has not been given to it even within the workforce. On the part of the government, we have not had opportunity to see how much the federal government has pumped into the take-off. But where less than =N= 2-3 billion is sent to this place in the name of dredging, I think it's a child's play… We are waiting. We do know that at least within the environment here people will benefit in terms of employment. People are prayerful as per the dredging. Let them (the government) prove to us that it is going to work out.
Sule also expressed displeasure about the news making rounds to the effect that as part of the on-going reforms, government was contemplating demoting staff that belong to a particular category to very ridiculous salary grade levels even without allowing the union make some input.
[ more stories in this edition ]
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