From left: Rosemary Ogon-Onah, Esq., Permanent Secretary, Cross River State Ministry of Environment; Dr Aishetu Gogo Ndayako, Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office; and Bassey Offiong Mensah, Esq., Commissioner for Environment, Cross River State.
The Federal Government has moved to urgently tackle an ecological emergency in Calabar, Cross River State, following growing threats to key strategic national assets, including the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory installation and an Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) jetty supporting the nation’s energy infrastructure.
The intervention is being spearheaded by the Ecological Project Office (EPO) in collaboration with the Cross River State Ministry of Environment.
The threat followed the failure of the Channel 2 underground drainage system along Anansa Road in Calabar, which triggered extensive environmental destruction, infrastructure damage, disruption of economic activities and loss of life.
The resultant ecological crisis posed wider national security and economic concerns, which the EPO Permanent Secretary, Dr. Aishetu Mohammed, said was beyond a routine drainage problem.
Dr. Mohammed spoke in Abuja on Wednesday while receiving a Cross River State delegation, led by the Commissioner for Environment, Bassey Offiong Mensah.
“The intervention will begin with a joint technical assessment to determine the causes of the crisis and identify sustainable remedial measures. We do not come into a state without partnership with the state and the people,” Mohammed said.
The security implications of the crisis have also prompted direct engagement with the Naval authorities, given the potential impact on NNS Victory and Nigeria’s maritime operations along the eastern flank.
The National Hydrographic Agency and other technical institutions are also expected to participate in the assessment of waterway dynamics, drainage failure and erosion patterns.
The EPO said advanced analytical tools, including artificial intelligence, could also be deployed to better understand the ecological processes driving the crisis and guide the intervention.
Beyond protecting critical infrastructure, the Federal Government said the exercise would take account of the livelihoods of affected communities, particularly fishermen, youths, traditional custodians and families whose economic activities have been disrupted.
“We do not take culture for granted. We listen to the people and tailor our interventions accordingly,” Mohammed said.
The EPO said the intervention would combine infrastructural remediation with measures aimed at restoring livelihoods and supporting long-term socio-economic recovery.
The Federal Government’s response is expected to culminate in a joint site assessment, the date of which is being finalised by the relevant agencies.
The Calabar crisis has assumed significance beyond a failed drainage system, with the safety of a naval installation protecting Nigeria’s eastern maritime interests and an NNPC facility linked to the country’s energy infrastructure now forming a central part of the government’s emergency response.
