How UN-HABITAT Project stimulates revival of Lokoja River Port

Hope rises for the confluence city of Lokoja as architects plan to make the ancient city the real heritage state capital as conferred on it by the United Nations in its UN-HABITAT City resilience profiling project.

Lokoja is the only city in Nigeria that was selected for the UN-HABITAT Project. It is also the only non-national capital city amongst the 10 other cities that were included in the project from around the world.

This 1.3 million dollar project will in addition to developing a master plan, support the state in the provision of modern amenities for the city of Lokoja and three other cities in Kogi.

The architects who gathered in the city for the World Architectural Day recently are also capitalizing on the UN gesture to roll out their own initiative of giving the confluence its befitting status.

The city which had continued to remain a laid back capital had witnessed its glorious days when the multinationals like the UAC and John Holt used to ship their goods to Lokoja from Europe and up to Barro in Niger State and to Benue and Adamawa through the two rivers – Niger and Benue.

Stakeholders have continued to lament over the shoddy job on the much publicized dredging of the River Niger which has created a nuisance of sort of the two Rivers rather than the gains of making them navigable all year round if the right things were done.

The confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue in Lokoja and its uniqueness with no replica anywhere in the world gave it serious economic advantage with light ships coming to berth directly from Europe.

Many of the colonial masters came into Lokoja direct from Europe by the Rivers and many other people at the time could travel by water to Makurdi, Barro and as far as Adamawa from Lokoja.

Large ships used to export cotton and kernel from Lokoja to Europe but the prodigal stature that has become the lot of the country had also affected developmental initiatives that could have lifted the city to global reckoning.

The paramount ruler of the city, the Maigarin Lokoja, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Maikarfi III seems to be the most disappointed as he keeps wondering on the billions of Naira already voted for the dredging that has not yielded any positive result.

However, Corporate Affairs Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mr. Tayo Fadile said the dredging of the River Niger had since been completed adding that it was left for private investors to take advantage of it by investing in ferries and barges to ply the waterways.

“We cannot dredge the River Niger and at the same time buy vessels that will ply on it. We are encouraging the private sector to do that. We are more of a regulatory agency,” he said.

But the sordid status of the confluence has attracted the attention of the Nigerian Institute of Architects marshaling plans to bringing back the good old days in Lokoja when the city was a business hub, courtesy of the river port then provided by the colonialists.

Since the Chinese built the China walls without modern technology; Panama Canal and Swiss Canals came into being without modern technology, the architects believe they can turn around Rivers Niger and Benue and harness their potentials. They believe that the two rivers can be controlled without flooding through modern technology.

The president of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Arc. Tonye Oliver Braide said Lokoja could be made an epicenter of tourism with highbrow skyscrapers utilizing the nature’s gift of the confluence of the two major rivers.

Speaking at the Federal University Lokoja recently at the 2016 World Architecture Day, he said the city has strong historical antecedents that make its tourism potentials very high.

Since Architects are being trained on renewable energy, he insisted, they were in a better position to design better building that would be more energy efficient, buildings that would be ready to meet the challenges of all Nigerians.

Oliver said the body would collaborate with the Kogi State government to build 160 landmark architectural projects of global significance in 2017 to serve as beacons that will mark the 160 years of the existence of Lokoja.

“We intend to bring the entire country to Lokoja to celebrate the world Architecture day by October 2017.He tasked the Kogi State Government to enter into a partnership with its members to build a modern metropolis in Lokoja that would harness its God given potential of the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue for tourism.

He said the adjourning Steel Complex at Ajaokuta could become an industrial hub, taking advantage of the multitude of deposits in Iron Ore and good supply of gas.

“West African Ceramics has berthed in the region along with Dangote Cement. We call on the government to key into this industrialization drive by providing an enabling environment to attract more industries, particularly in the manufacture of architectural components, hardware and ironmongery.”

The partnership, he envisaged, would serve as stimulus for growth attracting architectural investment that will foster turning Lokoja into a modern metropolis.

He therefore called on the federal and Kogi state government to partner with the body to ensure the restoration and preservation of all architectural artifacts/monuments in Lokoja.

He observed that historical/colonial relics that adorn Lokoja such as the tombs of emirs deposed and exiled by the colonial masters, the Lord Lugard rest House, the first primary school in northern Nigeria and the European/British soldiers’ cemeteries, amongst others could be fully tapped for tourism purposes.

“As pristine location, Lokoja has the potential to develop 100 per cent green neighborhoods. All buildings would be designed with energy efficiency considerations and some estates could be executed totally with renewable energy.”

According to him, Lokoja has the capacity for the change, having the right cosmopolitan mix, a growing academic population, an emerging industrial base, excellent transportation interface and a strong youthful and vibrant leadership.

“This is the city of the future, there is therefore no better place to celebrate the 2016 World Architecture Day than Lokoja, the city of the Millennium.

“We must not allow the erosion of our monuments as seen in Lagos recently. Buildings under protection must be restored to enjoy their true value and ensure continuum of our heritage for future generations”, he said.

Led by a former National President of the NIA, Arch. Gabriel Aduku, a consortium of architects under the Y-Group also unveiled a development plan for transforming the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue in Lokoja into tourists attraction site.

As the starting point, the group asked for permit in addition to creating an enabling environment that would allow them to pull resources together to construct a Geodesic Dome of 1km diameter.
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The Geodesic structure which has the capacity to house many skyscrapers as in hotels and other types of building under it will be unique iconic structure of the specified dimension that will house other elements for tourists attraction, like a harbor and also some water games and so on.
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Aduku who spoke on behalf of the group, said they are looking at a minimum of 1km diameter of the dome which would be a green structure.

He clarified further that the Geodesic Dome, when constructed, would attract people from all around the world particularly from the capitals.

“Lokoja offers itself to such a unique treat because it would boost our economy through tourism. It will bring on board many other things including playing the role of unity of our nation by all the states that are bordering both rivers at least trailing back to the period of amalgamation of the North and South.

“That was one of the major significant things that can happened in this country to come together as one and we cannot wish it away.” Aduku believed that anything that could unite Nigerians as belonging to one nation should be encouraged.

“I believe that such an iconic structure architecturally defined as unique through out the whole world would bring a focus unto us.
“It will also move us away from oil as our main life wire in this country. Besides, it will become a major contribution, if by sheer effort, we can ensure that the rivers are navigable and that people can travel from anywhere in the world and come through to Lokoja, Kebbi, Makurdi and the Inland Water ways works.”