The federal government says it has taken steps to address the ecological crisis threatening critical national assets, including the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory and a Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) jetty in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.
According to Aishetu Mohammed, permanent secretary of the
Ecological Project Office (EPO), the intervention is being carried out in
partnership with the Cross River state ministry of environment.
Mohammed spoke when she received a delegation from Cross
River led by Bassey Offiong Mensah, commissioner for environment, in Abuja.
She said the situation requires more than a conventional
drainage intervention because of its implications for national security,
infrastructure and the local economy.
The intervention follows the collapse of the channel 2
underground drainage system along Anansa road, which has worsened erosion,
damaged infrastructure and disrupted economic activities in parts of the city.
The area has been affected by severe flooding and landslides
since July after persistent heavy rainfall triggered a series of ecological
disasters across Calabar.
At least eight people were reported killed in different
incidents during the month, while homes, roads and other properties were
destroyed.
A major landslide also occurred on Anansa road, near Diamond
Hill and the Calabar jetty, cutting into the road and threatening surrounding
infrastructure.
The permanent secretary said the first step would be a joint
technical assessment to establish the causes of the erosion and determine
sustainable remedial measures.
“We do not come into a state without partnership with the
state and the people,” Mohammed said.
According to her, the assessment is expected to involve the
National Hydrographic Agency (NHA) and other technical institutions that will
examine waterway dynamics, drainage failure and erosion patterns.
Mohammed also said advanced analytical tools, including
artificial intelligence (AI), could be deployed to improve understanding of the
ecological processes responsible for the damage and guide the government’s
response.
She added that the security implications of the erosion have
also brought the Nigerian Navy into the intervention, given the proximity of
the affected corridor to NNS Victory and its facilities.
NNS Victory is a Type-A operational naval base in Calabar.
According to the Nigerian Navy, the base is responsible for securing inland
waterways around Calabar and adjoining creeks, while supporting maritime
security operations up to Nigeria’s exclusive economic zone.
The permanent secretary said the federal intervention would
also consider the impact of the crisis on communities whose livelihoods depend
on the affected waterways.
Mohammed said fishermen, youths, traditional custodians and
families whose economic activities had been disrupted would be considered in
the response.
“We do not take culture for granted. We listen to the people
and tailor our interventions accordingly,” she said.
She also said the intervention would combine infrastructure
repairs with measures to restore livelihoods and support the long-term recovery
of affected communities.
The latest move comes after repeated warnings over the
worsening environmental situation in Calabar.
In July, state officials and emergency agencies assessed
several flood and landslide-affected communities following heavy rainfall.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the
Cross River emergency management agency said the assessment was intended to
establish the scale of the destruction and guide recovery efforts.
The state government had also sought federal intervention
after the Anansa road collapse, with officials warning that the affected
corridor serves communities and critical government facilities, including the
navy.
The EPO permanent secretary said a joint site assessment
would be conducted as part of the federal response, with the date to be
determined by the participating agencies.
The intervention is expected to focus on containing the
erosion, protecting strategic infrastructure and addressing the effects of the
crisis on communities around the affected waterways.
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