Rivers that Bind Us All From The Slave Trade Era — the Niger’s Uniqueness, published in Tell!
Rivers that Bind Us All From The Slave Trade Era — the Niger’s Uniqueness, published in Tell!
By Ben Edokpayi ©
My Opus on the Importance of The River Niger!
Asaba, Delta State — From the Euphrates and the Tigris, the Sacramento River, through the Jordan, the Nile, the Danube, the Mississippi and the Zambezi and Congo in Africa, as well as numerous other waterways, the ebb and flow of rivers has been the metaphor for the heart, spiritual essence and enterprise of many nations.
In Nigeria, the cardinal confluence of hope for Africa’s biggest democracy is undoubtedly the River Niger, which has been a major factor in Nigeria’s economic, political and geographical growth since Mungo Park’s exploratory effort put this waterway and its tributaries in the delta on the world map with his horse and a pocket compass when he reached the “long-sought Niger River at Segou, Senegal” in 1796.
Originating from the hills of the Fouta Djallon, the Niger meanders its way through major west African cities such as Timbuktu, Ouagadougou, Kouroussa (or Kankan on the Milo tributary) and then Niamey in Niger Republic before reaching Nigeria.
Attending secondary school in the late 70’s at Saint Patrick’s College (also known as Nnebisi College) in Asaba, a historical city that forms a connector between western, eastern and northern Nigeria through the River Niger, emphasized the significance and the importance of the River Niger to me.
It was so common in those halcyon days to seamlessly traverse across the Niger Bridge to either go shopping at the one-of-a-kind Onitsha market, attend a football game between SPC and its old rivals at DMGS, or go in search of our favorite high school paramours at Queen of the Rosary (QRC) girl’s high school in Onitsha.
But after being gone from the country for more than 25 years, the importance of the Niger sort of receded into my subconscious. That was until a visit recently when I took my first road trip in more than two decades across the Niger, which is Africa’s third longest river. The Nile at 4000 miles is Africa’s longest river.
As we sat in a traffic logjam that stretched for miles from the Andwai street area in Asaba to the bridge and even into Onitsha town, the significance of this long span, as an important lifeline for Nigeria’s economic development (since it was built in the 60’s), came flooding back.
As we approached the Niger bridge from Asaba, the spiritual importance of the River Niger was again brought to the fore, as I recalled a text I received out of the blues the night before, for journeying mercies, from the very Reverend Margaret Idahosa (who along with her late husband the charismatic Archbishop Benson Idahosa) founded the Church of God Mission International. Her prayers read, “The Holy spirit will show you the path to greatness. Death and evil that sweeps shall not come nigh thee! Like a flood the Spirit of God shall raise a standard against your adversaries.”
In Frank Donovan’s “Wheels for a Nation”, several of the book’s anecdotes and nuggets emphasize the importance of how transportation was important in the success of America’s industrial revolution, and even now.
One interesting narrative in the book was this one — “If Gulliver landed on our shores today, he would find not the tiny Lilliputians nor the giant Brobdingnagians, but people who are more like centaurs. They are equipped with four wheels, however, instead of four legs. In the land of the Carboys, Gulliver would have said, the ultimate disgrace is not to be moving.”
Automobiles have morphed from when they were considered “evil machines” and a toy for the rich in the early 20th century, to become a necessity for everyone and every nation.
Movement, especially by road, is the foundation and main driver for economies worldwide.
And so to keep Nigeria moving economically, a renewed emphasis must be placed on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges. It is important to diversify the nation’s economy by focusing on the development of a seamless transportation system.
Imagine how much productivity is lost through mindless traffic jams!
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan made the construction of a second bridge across the Niger, a priority for this administration. His successor, President Buhari, hopefully will complete the second bridge after a review process that began last year. The first picture illustrates the progress being made on one of the most important bridges in the world; a bridge that symbolically unifies Africa’s most populous nation.
The story of the River Niger is indeed unique in every sense of the word. In Africa, it is the only river that connects an entire region. Originating from eastern Sierra Leone, this 2600 mile long river flows through almost every West African nation; channels its waters into Nigeria through the north-western boundary and surges toward the Atlantic Ocean through many Nigerian towns including Baro, Bussa, Jebba, Lokoja, Onitsha and Burutu on the Forcados River.
Politically, the Niger (and its tributary the River Benue) geographically frame a lot of important issues for the country; ranging from dividing the country into three main political regions as well as being factored into the revenue allocation formula and national census.
Its importance and position as one of the major access points (others include the Congo , Calabar and Benin Rivers) for the trans-Atlantic slave trade have been illustrated in poems and movies, including one in 1976 featuring great African American thespians such as James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett Jr., as well as South African Zakes Mokaes.
In their history book, Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth century, Joseph C. Anene and G.N. Brown state that “the Berlin West African Conference which began in November 1884 thus had its origins in an attempt to destroy British informal influence on the Niger and Congo, the two most important avenues of access to the interior of Tropical Africa.”
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#QuietStorm #TheCIAsWorstForeignBlunder #IsNotNicaraguaButtLiesAboutNigeriaAndCameroon #KidadaThreeWhiteStrangersAtPineBluffVacavilleIn2013
https://www.theneuenude.com/pop-culture/kidadajones #ARemoteCauseForNationOnTheEdgeOfAnarchy! #WithEthnicCleansingOnTheRise!
THE Igbo People Of Nigeria: JEWS OF AFRICA!
Your’s truly as a student (21st picture) journalist at Saint Patricks College, Asaba, the confluence town of the River Niger and gateway to Nigeria’s Eastern Region the root of the Ibo’s. I and Bruce Nwachie, a Los Angeles Entreprenuer are top-notch products of SPC, one of the best Catholic Schools In West Africa. Epiphany Azinge former director of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and member of the Commonwealth Arbitration Tribunal was our senior in high school and is in this dorm picture. Brigadier David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark, GCON, former President of the Nigerian Senate is also a product of Saint Patrick’s
https://www.theafricantimes.com/2021/06/the-igbo-people-of-nigeria-jews-of-africa/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mark
