FG orders joint assessment of Calabar ecological crisis

The Federal Government has ordered a joint technical assessment of an ecological crisis in Calabar, Cross River State, following threats to critical national assets, including the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory installation and an NNPC jetty supporting the country’s energy infrastructure.

The Ecological Project Office (EPO), in collaboration with the Cross River State Ministry of Environment, is leading the intervention.

The crisis followed the failure of the Channel 2 underground drainage system along Anansa Road in Calabar, resulting in environmental destruction, damage to infrastructure, disruption of economic activities and loss of life.

Aishetu Mohammed, Permanent Secretary, EPO, in a statement on Sunday said the situation had gone beyond a routine drainage problem, with its implications extending to national security, economic activities and the protection of strategic infrastructure.

Mohammed disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday when she received a Cross River State delegation led by Bassey Offiong Mensah, Commissioner for Environment.

She said the intervention would begin with a joint technical assessment to establish the causes of the crisis and identify sustainable measures to address it.

“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 ecological crisis have also prompted engagement with naval authorities because of the potential impact on NNS Victory and maritime operations along Nigeria’s eastern flank.

The National Hydrographic Agency and other technical institutions are expected to participate in the assessment, focusing on 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 government’s intervention.

Beyond protecting critical infrastructure, the assessment will consider the impact of the crisis on affected communities and livelihoods, 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 to restore livelihoods and support the long-term socio-economic recovery of affected communities.

The Federal Government’s response is expected to culminate in a joint site assessment, with the date being finalised by the relevant agencies.

The Calabar crisis has assumed wider significance because of the potential threat to a naval installation responsible for supporting Nigeria’s eastern maritime interests and an NNPC facility linked to the country’s energy infrastructure.

The government’s intervention is therefore expected to address both the immediate environmental damage and the longer-term infrastructure and ecological vulnerabilities contributing to the crisis.