By Engr. Okon Nkpubre
Every time I reflect on the contemplation by the Government of Akwa Ibom State to abandon a Deep Seaport in the Natural Harbour of Ibaka Bay and instead go to build the Deep Seaport elsewhere, in an artificial ocean dug out of dry land, I am always sadly dumbfounded.
The Federal Government of Nigeria proposed the first Deep Seaport in Nigeria, to be located in Ibaka Bay, to take advantage of the Natural Harbour there with a non-dredged draft of above 13 metres. The Deep Seaport was to be accompanied by a Free Trade Zone and a Mega Shipyard for the maintenance of supertankers, including Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, which are increasing in number in Nigeria’s maritime environment.
This could have been the biggest Integrated Maritime Infrastructure in the West and Central African sub-region. The Deep Seaport was to function as a transhipment port for the entire West and Central African sub-region, with the Mega Shipyard providing maintenance services to supertankers and FPSOs in the sub-region. Imagine the thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities that the operation of these large-scale integrated maritime facilities could have generated for the teeming unemployed youths of Nigeria.
Unfortunately, the development of this key infrastructure, which could have made a significant impact on the economy of the Nigerian nation, has been frustrated for over a decade by the Government of Akwa Ibom State, simply because the Ibaka Bay Natural Harbour is in Oron Nation, an ethnic minority in Akwa Ibom State.
REFLECTION ON THE DUGOUT DEEP SEAPORT CONCEPT
The conceptual design of the dugout Deep Seaport proposed for the Government of Akwa Ibom State, to be located at Ibeno, is shown below.
The dugout Deep Seaport comprises a basin of 500 metres wide and 1.8 km long, dug out of dry land, with two turning circles. The outer circle has a radius of 600 metres, and the inner circle has a radius of 500 metres. Because the location is exposed to the Ibeno Surge, the entrance to the dugout basin is protected with two gigantic wave barriers with a combined length of over 2 km.
This is what a Nigerian consultant, Felak Concept, with a foreign partner, Marine and Transport Business Solutions (MBTS) from the Netherlands, proposed for the Government of Akwa Ibom State, while there is a Natural Harbour with a non-dredged deep draft close by in Akwa Ibom State.
Every time I reflect on this insane proposal, a lot of questions come to my mind:
How long will it take to excavate such a massive area to a depth of about 18 metres for a functional Deep Seaport? What would be the effects of such a massive land excavation on soil stability in the surrounding environment? How would the millions of cubic metres of excavated material be disposed of? What would be the effect of erecting gigantic wave barriers on the hydrodynamic circulation and aquatic culture around the nearby coastal areas?
Unfortunately, the Government of Akwa Ibom State is not saying anything about conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment for such a massive excavation and the construction of such gigantic wave barriers. What is the guarantee that the gigantic wave barriers would not one day collapse under the repeated impact of intense ocean surge? Can this dugout Deep Seaport function as a transhipment port, which the Ibaka Deep Seaport was supposed to be?
The financial modelling for a Deep Seaport built at the Natural Harbour of Ibaka Bay amounted to only about USD 2 Billion, with only minimal maintenance dredging.
The development cost of the proposed dugout Deep Seaport is estimated at about USD 5 Billion. And due to the high siltation rates of dugout basins, estimated at triple the rate for natural harbours, the maintenance dredging cost of the dugout Deep Seaport is expected to be very high.
The question is: can this dugout Deep Seaport, developed as a greenfield Deep Seaport with high capital and running costs, be competitive with other Deep Seaports coming up in Nigeria, especially the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport to be located about 30 km across the opposite side of Ibaka Bay in Cross River State?
My engineering intuition and basic logic tell me that if the dugout Deep Seaport is developed as proposed, it would join the numerous projects in Nigeria, handled by unscrupulous consultants, which have become dysfunctional or have failed outright.
THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION OF THE IBAKA/IBOM DEEP SEAPORT IMBROGLIO
There is a spiritual dimension to the Ibaka/Ibom Deep Seaport imbroglio.
Almighty God has blessed Akwa Ibom State with a unique Natural Harbour in Ibaka Bay for the construction of a Deep Seaport. Such a harbour, with a natural draft of above 13 metres which has remained stable for many decades, is rare in the world. The Government of Akwa Ibom State could have developed a very viable Deep Seaport in this God-given location at minimal cost, for the benefit of its people.
To reject this God-given location because it is in the domain of an ethnic minority in the State, and to go and embark on digging out an artificial ocean from dry land for a Deep Seaport, is to me a contention with Almighty God. It could attract dire consequences.
THERE APPEARS TO BE A RAY OF HOPE
I recently listened to the interview of the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Obong Victor Attah, who first conceptualised a Seaport for Akwa Ibom State to take advantage of the Natural Harbour at Ibaka Bay. I was delighted to hear him disclose that the current Governor of the State, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, discusses the development of the State with him. His expression of deep desire to see the Akwa Ibom Deep Seaport returned to Ibaka Bay was, to me, a welcome development. I join the elder statesman to again plead with our beloved Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, a Man of God, to do what is unquestionably right before God and man, and return the Deep Seaport to the Natural Harbour of Ibaka Bay.
I was not opportune to follow the media coverage of the visit of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, to Akwa Ibom State on Friday, 6th November. However, I have been informed that both the Governor of Akwa Ibom State and the President of the Nigerian Senate, who is a distinguished Akwa Ibom son, informed the President that Akwa Ibom State has a Natural Harbour with a non-dredged draft of 19 metres, and used this to canvass for the approval of a Deep Seaport for Akwa Ibom State, and Mr. President graciously gave the approval.
This is indeed heartwarming. The only location in Akwa Ibom State with a Natural Harbour with a deep draft is Ibaka Bay. By this, it can be construed that the Government of Akwa Ibom State has finally decided to return the Ibom Deep Seaport to the Natural Harbour of Ibaka Bay after many years of delay. Therefore, the idea of a Deep Seaport in a massive artificial basin dug out of dry land, conceptualised by unscrupulous consultants, should be perished forever in a littoral State like Akwa Ibom, which is surrounded by water.
God bless Governor Umo Eno, PhD.
God bless Akwa Ibom State!
Engr. Okon Nkpubre is a former Managing Director, Nigerdock Nigeria Plc, and a Former Director of Engineering, Nigerian Railways Corporation
