The Ohakim Legacy: The Nworie River dredging

By
Joachim Ezeji

Hitherto, Imo people have been inundated by arguments on the urgency of dredging the Nworie River and why the project could not be delayed. Arguments proffered have ranged from abatement of pollution by medical waste, to security and inland freshwater transportation etc. But are these worth the whopping sum of N8billion allegedly spent to dredge a stream of less than 15km length in the face of other pressing priorities? Also, now that the controversy generated seems to have gone down can business as usual in government continue?
Telling lies such as those of recovering dead bodies from the sites is not necessary as insecurity to life is never solved by dredging of Rivers. Gladly, the Imo State police command denied such claim as no report was ever brought to it about that. On the other hand, no journalist is yet to come up with a photograph on such gory scene.
It is also germane to point out that the Nworie River is incapable of serving as an inland transport medium as being suggested by those forcing the dredging contract down our throats as the extent of the coverage is so small. How far can such transportation go without an enormous investment in rebuilding the road blockings on Assumpta Avenue and Egbeada Road?
Discussing the controversial dredging of the Nworie River at a time of economic recession and peril of both the government and citizens is germane. First, the Nworie River provides a strategic ecological service to the city of Owerri vis-à-vis its role as a major hydrological catchment for both flood and storm waters emanating from rainfalls across the adjoining uplands or hills that serve as its catchment areas. Its valley location makes its ability to perform this task seem effortless as all generated runoffs from paved roads and concreted buildings find their way into it. A similar task is perfomed by the Iyi echu stream in Okigwe town, and many other Rivers and Streams everywhere.
This hydrological function has a lot of benefits, one of which, as already mentioned is flood control. But then, there is also the benefit of sediment transport and hydrological stabilization which though very gradual and minimal, enables the Otammiri River and its surrounding landscapes to recover from the anthropologic effects of sand mining that is currently ravaging it. This natural process provides a natural balance to the entire ecosystem both terrestrial and the freshwater.
In this regards, one may need to ask why erosion and landslide have remained a major problem around the point the Nworie River joins the Otammiri River that is around Nekede? The simple answer is that the surrounding landscapes, having been deprived of the stabilization effects of incoming sediments, exerts a balancing pressure on surrounding landscapes , the result being the massive erosion and landslides we have in that area today. This situation would have been worse without the Nworie River. Sediments from Nworie River support Otammiri River to build some level of resilience.
Secondly, beyond this role, the stream has an intrinsic value which also serves as a primary role and this is the life and habitation it provides to biodiversity. Biodiversity in simple terms means the plants (flora) and animals (fauna) varying from the very microscopic to the very large inhabiting the waters of this small River. As a source of life, water bodies naturally provide this ecological service in support of mother earth. Hydrology is a key determinant of specie distribution, wetland productivity and nutrient cycling and availability.
Globally, when environmentalists oppose river dredging, it is often premised on reasons such as those cited above. This makes River dredging a very controversial issue anywhere it is planned and raises the necessity for an Environmental Impacts Assessment (EIA). Such an EIA enables all stakeholders to appraise all their options including mitigation. For a coastal delta environment such as the Niger Delta this could become a life and death issue as is currently the case with the recently commissioned dredging in the Niger Delta.
I am keen to see and read the EIA for the Nworie River dredging or was there none? I will be most surprised if there was none. If there actually was one, then I am keen to know the level of participation of stakeholders and what their inputs were. Stakeholders in this instance include the Nekede community, the fisher men, the sand dredgers, the NGOs, land owners and farmers within the banks of the Rivers etc.
I need to point out that dredging at whatever scale causes serious environmental damage as it significantly degrades water quality and can harms fisheries. During dredging, sediment, soil, and vegetation along the way are removed and deposited as dredge spoils. Toxic substances attached to sediment particles can enter aquatic food chains, cause fish toxicity and mortality and make the water unfit for drinking. Research has proven that waste material from dredging when dumped on the river banks disrupts the environment.
Often, these wastes are acidic and if it leaches into the water, pose as a further source of contamination. While oil companies are responsible for significant dredging activities in the Niger Delta, dredging of rivers is also done by other local businesses and government, such as the Nworie River by the Imo State Government. There have been reports of human induced saline contamination at Isaka near Port Harcourt where the dredging of the Port Harcourt harbour admitted saline water into the aquifer in the area.
Canalization particularly short-cut canals have often resulted in intrusion of saline waters into fresh water swamps and groundwater. Similarly, dredging activities of Chevron Nigeria Limited allegedly resulted in salt water intrusion into an otherwise freshwater swamp forest, leading to the complete destruction of vast areas of land (over 20 km2) in the Opuekeba area of Tsekelewu, Rivers State.
Therefore, I doubt the wisdom of the Imo State Government in dredging the Nworie River. I am of the opinion that what was actually needed was tougher environmental regulation around the River in order to protect its catchment. This would have included regulated sand mining in the Otammiri River; absolute stopping of medical and sanitary waste discharge into the River and the setting up of a watershed management for both the Otammiri and Nworie Rivers.
Watershed management in this case as is practiced in Sweden and other developed countries would have seen to the planting of trees along and within at least 100 meter periphery of the Rivers as well as restricting residential buildings within this periphery especially residential buildings with on-site sanitation systems including septic pits or tanks. Without these strategies in place the dredging would end up a futility.
I am also of the opinion that the weeds on the Nworie River and the accompanying silts would have been removed manually. By so doing the state government would not have spent as much as it has done and Imo people, particularly those to be engaged in the work would have tremendously benefited; instead of paying such a colossal amount to an alien or offshore contractor who has little or no stake in the state.

Chief Francis Ellah: This was a man!

By
Joachim Ibeziako Ezeji
To everything in life there is a time and season. Life itself, just like anything else is transient. But for all those who come to life with bold footprints and positive impacts on other lives, nothing could be more preserving. And that is the story of Chief Francis Ellah, a man I had always admired with a lot of respect since I came to appreciate the stuff and resilience he was imbued with.
Chief Francis Ellah had the traditional title of Eze Nwadei Ogbuehi of Ogba. He was graduate of the University of London (University College, Ibadan), and a highly regarded elder statesman with outstanding political credentials.
He was a former Second Republic Senator; a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government and Head of Service; and was a member of the Rivers State Advisory Council during the Peter Odili government. In 1958, just before Nigeria’s independence he was a District Officer in charge of Orlu Division.
Admired for standing by his principles, Senator Ellah resigned from the Senate over a matter of conflicting interest in 1981. His experiences are chronicled in the critically acclaimed political treatise Nigeria and State Creation.
Recalling this incident two decades after, Chief Ellah had said “You know that this was what my unfinished motion in the Senate was based on. I was trying to move a motion at the Senate, at the time, that I thought was highly crucial to the progress of Nigeria - the structure was the problem”.
“…… But I was stopped from giving the speech so I thought I should quit. The parliament is a speaking house; if one cannot speak, there is no freedom of speech! The parliament is a talking house; you should be free to talk. So I said if I wasn’t free to talk, I should be free to write, and I wrote the book, Nigeria and State Creation”.
Against a wave of anti-Igbo sentiment and general renunciation of ‘Igboness’ by his folks in all Igbo speaking communities of Rivers State after the civil war, Chief Ellah stood out and refused to abdicate his ‘Igboness’ despite insults, intimidations and harassment by his people.
Undeterred he remained committed to his ‘Igboness’ and intermingled freely with the Igbo nation in general. In summary, he braved it bluntly refused to neither subdue nor kaput the Igbo identity in him.
He often reminded those who shied away from their Igbo identity that “An Igbo is an Igbo. Darryl Ford or someone else has written extensively about who is an Igbo. If you look at the culture, language, etc, these are some of the things that determine an ethnic group’’. …………’’I am a student of History. I start from the known to the unknown. Being an Igbo, I started with Igbo history, and then studied other ethnic groups’’…….
Recalling his roles during the Biafran-Nigerian civil war, Chief Ellah had said ‘’Well, I didn’t fight in the war, so I cannot claim to have much practical experience of the civil war’’ However it is on record that he was Biafra’s deputy prime minister of trade. Then he had a career in diplomatic service training, which led to his being posted abroad to establish the Biafran Embassy in London.
Chief Ellah later was recalled to Biafra and sent to oversee the Ministry of Transport and Communications. From there he was reassigned as Secretary to the Atrocities Commission etc. After the war, he became the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information and Local Government Affairs, and was later appointed the Secretary to government and Head of service in Rivers State from where he retired voluntarily in November 1978.
It would be recalled that together with the revered novelist Chinua Achebe, Chief Francis Ellah studied at the University College Ibadan where he studied History while his friend Achebe studied a combination of History and Literature. Other colleagues of his at Ibadan included Sam Nwoye, John Munonye, Ben Nwosu, and James Ezeilo, Christopher Okigbo etc.
In his words about this, he had said “….and speaking for myself, I didn’t know what I wanted to study; I only wanted higher education. When they asked me what I would read, I mentioned the subject I did best in the entrance examination….”
‘’…….People had different opinions on my performance, but Chinua Achebe came in and said he wanted to study Medicine. Somewhere along the line, he changed to English. The world would have lost a great writer, indeed, had he become a Medical officer”.
His successful business career after public service centered on important roles in the development of the agricultural, banking, and oil sectors of the economy. Upon founding the Ellah Lakes Plc, he sat on the boards of universities, banks, and diverse corporations until his sudden death on the 23rd of April 2008 at the age of 80 of what was believed to be natural causes.
Chief Ellah was nominated by the Ohaneze as one of its delegate at the National Reform Conference. The consummate gentleman, Chief Ellah was an expert organist and musicologist, an avid golfer and author of several books including Ali-Ogba: A History of Ogba People.
Chief Francis Ellah was also a strong believer in the Catholic. He was greatly involved at all levels of the Roman Catholic Church affairs. His contributions to the church were equally acknowledged and rewarded by the Roman Catholic authorities even at the highest level. He was President Inter-Diocesan Conference of Papal Knights of Nigeria (Eastern Zone). He was dual patron of the Catholic Diocesan Choir, and the Catholic Diocesan Laity Council, Port Harcourt, as well as being an active member, Parish Council, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Omoku.
His body was interred on Friday 16th May 2008 in his ancient town of Omoku, Rivers State.
May his gentle soul rest in peace!