FG Moves to Protect Naval, NNPC Assets as Erosion Threatens Calabar

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 initiated emergency measures to address a worsening ecological crisis in Calabar, Cross River State, threatening strategic national assets, including the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory installation and a Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) jetty.

The intervention is being coordinated by the Ecological Project Office (EPO) in partnership with the Cross River State Ministry of Environment following the failure of the Channel 2 underground drainage system along Anansa Road.

The drainage collapse has caused severe erosion, damaged infrastructure, disrupted economic activities and reportedly resulted in loss of life, raising concerns over the safety of communities and critical national facilities.

Permanent Secretary of the EPO, Dr Aishetu Mohammed, said the situation had gone beyond a routine drainage problem and required a coordinated technical response.

Mohammed spoke in Abuja 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,” she said.

The Federal Government is also engaging naval authorities because of the potential threat to NNS Victory and maritime operations along Nigeria’s eastern flank.

The National Hydrographic Agency and other technical institutions are expected to participate in assessing waterway dynamics, erosion patterns and the causes of the drainage failure.

According to the EPO, advanced analytical tools, including artificial intelligence, could be deployed to improve understanding of the ecological processes and support the development of sustainable solutions.

Mohammed said the intervention would also consider the livelihoods of fishermen, youths, traditional communities and families whose economic activities have been affected.

“We do not take culture for granted. We listen to the people and tailor our interventions accordingly,” she said.

The EPO said the response would combine infrastructure rehabilitation with livelihood restoration and measures to support long-term socio-economic recovery.

A joint site assessment by relevant federal and state agencies is expected, with the date currently being finalised.

The intervention is aimed at containing the ecological threat while safeguarding communities, the naval installation and the NNPC facility linked to Nigeria’s maritime and energy infrastructure.