The World Bank (WB) has recently earmarks $500m for Erosion Crisis in Nigeria through its agency, the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP). A number of World Bank Intervention Projects in Nigeria are at best evaluated as ‘moderately unsatisfactory’, particularly those anchored to complementary government response and performance at various levels. Projects such as this involving remarkably large scale grants and counter-funding at various governmental levels would require open and competent partnership by stakeholders. The AANDEC Consult Limited (ACL) is endowed with adequate human and material competence for partnership with the WB-NEWMAP to identify and fill critical gaps for the success of the anti-erosion project in Nigeria. The ACL is the entrepreneurial arm of the Alumni Association of the National Defence College vested with large concentration of knowledgeable, skilled and experienced professionals in engineering, logistics, mining and agriculture. This Concept Note expresses ACL’s interest to participate in the WB-NEWMAP anti-erosion project in Silt Management at small, medium and large scales. Five components of the project include silt removal from clog ups; packaging and distribution of fertile soil; refilling of denuded space; and mass mobilization of people for a sustainable silt management to check erosion crisis in Nigeria.

1. FIGHTING EROSION CRISIS IN NIGERIA:
THE DEFENCE COLLEGE ALUMNI TAKES ON SILT MANAGEMENT TO FILL A
STRATEGIC GAP
BY
TANKO AHMED, fwc
Senior Fellow (Security & Strategic Studies)
Research Directorate, NIPSS, Kuru-Jos
NB: Uniformed in War College Exercise, 2005

2. Submitted to the Alumni Association of the
National Defence College (AANDEC)
December 2016

3. The Project Theme
“To map, identify points, assess, harvest,
package and move rich fertile silt deposits
blocking streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and
valleys - to refill denuded space, and establish
sustainable commercial distribution venture for
continuous rehabilitation and utilization of silt
management across Nigeria”.

4. Fate of World Bank Projects
• The World Bank (WB) has recently earmarks $500m
for Erosion Crisis in Nigeria through its agency, the
Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management
Project (NEWMAP).
• A number of World Bank Intervention Projects in
Nigeria are at best evaluated as ‘moderately
unsatisfactory’, particularly those anchored to
complementary government response and
performance at various levels.

5. Need for Competent Partnership
• Projects such as this, involving remarkably
large scale grants and counter-funding at
various governmental levels, would require
open and competent partnership by
stakeholders.

6. AANDEC Endowment
• The AANDEC Consult Limited (ACL) is endowed with
adequate human and material competence for
partnership with the WB-NEWMAP to identify and fill
critical gaps for the success of the anti-erosion project
in Nigeria.
• The ACL is the entrepreneurial arm of the Alumni
Association of the National Defence College vested
with large concentration of knowledgeable, skilled
and experienced professionals in engineering,
logistics, mining and agriculture.

7. Concept Note
• This Concept Note expresses ACL’s interest to
participate in the WB-NEWMAP anti-erosion
project in Silt Management at small, medium
and large scales.
• Five components of the project include silt
removal from clog ups; packaging and
distribution of fertile soil; refilling of denuded
space; and mass mobilization of people for a
sustainable silt management to check erosion
crisis in Nigeria.

8. A PROLOGUE

9. Way of the Warriors
‘A dull blade does not cut; a weak
spear does not pierce; a rent shield
does not defend; a soft heart does not
conquer; and a slow mind does not
win’.
Culled From: ‘The First Aphorism of the 100 Aphorisms of
the Gorean Warrior Codes’, in Warriors of Jasmine:
Complete Warrior Codes and Aphorisms

10. The Association
The Alumni Association of the National
Defence College (AANDEC), Nigeria has its
rallying code as ‘constructive engagement’ with
the lager society, which is also the title of its
Journal, The Constructive Engagement.

11. Spirit of Warrior Code
Driven by the powerful spirit of Warrior
Code, the Association practically treads
on the path of putting courageous ideas
to action.

12. The Entrepreneurial Arm
Its entrepreneurial arm, the AANDEC
Consult Limited was established to deliver
services, mostly of strategic intervention
beyond the reach of other sectors in
society.

13. A Constructive Engagement
This partnership proposal with the World
Bank Anti-Erosion Project on Silt
Management is a sample of its
‘constructive engagement’ with larger
society.

14. INTRODUCTION
‘… A Constructive Engagement with the Larger Society …’
– The AANDEC Rally Call

15. Background
• The World Bank (WB) earmarks $500 for erosion
crisis in Nigeria through its outlet, the Nigeria
Erosion and Watershed Management Project
(NEWMAP).
• World Bank projects are often susceptible to
unintended negative impacts, not always the fault
of the agency, but mostly for faulty delivery system.
• However, World Bank success stories in countries
like Korea, Brazil, Kenya, Morocco, Sri Lanka, St.
Kitts, Turkey and Vietnam often featured support
from innovative partnerships with capable
agencies.

16. Prospects of World Bank Projects
• It is a fact that between 2009 and 2013 alone about
3.4 million people were displaced from their homes
and livelihood; and about $50 billion worth of
projects featured high risk for irreversible or
unprecedented social or environmental impacts due
to World Bank projects (Charkin et al, 2015).
• This trend might have informed the establishment of
the World Bank the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed
Management Project (WB-NEWMAP) to ensure
success and positive impact of the anti-erosion
project.

17. Rating World Bank Projects in Nigeria
• A number of World Bank Intervention Projects in
Nigeria are at best evaluated as ‘moderately
unsatisfactory’, particularly those anchored to
complementary government response and
performance at various levels (IBRD/WB, 2010).
• The AAADEC Consult Limited identifies silt
management as critical area mostly missing in
anti-erosion processes, particular in the erosion
crisis facing Nigeria.

18. World Bank/AANDEC Partnership
• Capable knowledgeable, skilled, experienced
hands and capacity are readily available in
the membership of this Association in and
out of service.
• A partnership between the WB-NEWMAP
and the ACL would bring success and positive
impact on curtailing erosion crisis in Nigeria.

19. DEFINITION
OF
KEY TERMS

20. Institutional Terms
• World Bank Intervention Projects are situational by
nature in which the agency designs and implement
programmes as intervention to assist in solving
identified problems.
• Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management
Project was designed to address a multi-dimensional
scale of erosion and land degradation in Nigeria.
• AANDEC Company Limited was established by the
Alumni Association of the National Defence College
(AANDEC), Nigeria to partake in mutual partnership
with agencies, to provide for and fill-in strategic gaps
in the translation and execution of projects.

21. Physical Terms
• Erosion is the gradual removal, breakdown, reduction,
weakening or destruction of earth surface involving
movement and deposition of soil mass.
• Denudation refers to the process of eroding top fertile or
habitat soil which renders affected space unproductive or
inhabitable.
• Soil Deposit is large body of displaced soil and particles
often lodged at streams or river sides and around ponds,
lakes and valleys forming marsh or swamps.
• Clog Ups are obstructions due to soil or silt deposits by
streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and valleys requiring
removal to allow for free flow as anti-flooding
component of anti-erosion project.

22. Silt Deposit

23. Processing Terms
• Anti-Erosion Project is introduced to check the
menace of erosion in its ramification, including
restoration and rehabilitation of affected areas.
• Silt is fine-grained sediments of mud, clay and sand
often fertile and rich in soil nutrients good for
rehabilitation, restoration and improvement of
agriculture, forestry and landscaping.
• Silt Management involves mapping, identification of
points, assessing, harvesting, and packaging. It
includes the movement rich fertile silt deposits
blocking streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and valleys to
refill and restore denuded space. It also involves the
establishment of a sustainable commercial
distribution venture for continuous rehabilitation
and utilization of silt management across Nigeria.

24. Silt Management

25. EROSION CRISIS
IN
NIGERIA

26. The Nigerian Physical Environment
• Erosion everywhere involves systemic removal
of soil, including plant nutrients in top fertile soil
often deposited as heavy silt blocking rivers and
filling up lakes downstream.
• The Nigerian physical environment, in geological
and geomorphologic settings, is characterized by
rapid coastal, plains and gulley erosions
(Ofomata, 1987).
• The Nigerian physical environment is seriously
susceptible to problem of erosion with its
associated silt blockades.

28. THE PROBLEM
• Nigeria bears more than 40% cover of loose
cretaceous sandstones and deeply weathered
basement complex rocks surface susceptible to
disastrous erosion (Ofomata, 1987; Haggai,
2016).
• The country witnesses a geological process of
mass removal and deposition of its fertile top
soil denuding large habitat and arable soil and
choking downstream blocking streams, rivers,
ponds, lakes and valleys.
• Silt Management process remains critical as
major challenge to the overall success of the
anti-erosion project in Nigeria.

29. CHALLENGES OF EROSION
MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA

30. Gap in Anti-Erosion Strategies
• Anti-Erosion projects management strategies
always tend to address and check soil
displacement, channeling and restoration
mostly leaving out remedy for denudation.
• Two examples are in the common practice seen
in the old Udi Forest Reserve in 1922 and the Jos
Plateau Minefields restoration have addressed
and checked the problem only halfway
(Ofomata, 1987).
• The AANDEC Consult has identified a critical gap
in the absence of systematic Silt Management in
the overall anti-erosion process which it
proposes to fill-in.

31. Failures and Success Stories
• Two major extreme examples of erosion crisis failure
and success are seen in the disappearance of the East
African Groundnut Scheme and the Russian
Minefields Redemption Project, respectively.
• The East African Groundnut Scheme collapsed due to
rapid erosion of suitable top rich soil washed into the
Great Lakes (Ofomata, 1987).
• The Russian efforts in moving fertile soil silt from
rivers, lakes and coastal dredging perfectly created
farmlands, forest and recreation out of wrecked mine
pits and desolate landscapes (Haggai, 2016).
• The AANDEC Consult aims at the adaptation of the
Russian Model in its Silt Management proposal.

32. AANDEC
PARTNERSHIP
PROPOSAL

33. Silt Management
• The AANDEC Company Limited proposes a
partnership with the WB-NEWMAP and other
relevant agencies in redeeming the apparent
seemingly irreversible erosion crisis in Nigeria at
small, medium and large scale levels.
• The proposal bids to map, identify points,
assess, harvest, package and move rich fertile
silt blocking streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and
valleys.
• It aims to refill denuded space and establish
sustainable commercial distribution for
continuous rehabilitation and utilization of silt
management across Nigeria.

34. Silt Harvesting and Packaging

35. Methodology
• The ACL will mobilize its human resource-base and
collaborate, cooperate and coordinate with relevant
agencies and professional bodies to achieve these
objectives.
• For example, the Centre for Geodesy and
Geodynamics based in Toro, Bauchi State
established to carry out earth observation research
could be of great use in identifying eroded space
and silt deposit points at small, medium and larger
scales.

36. Stakeholder Buy-In
• Other organizations relevant to this project are
spread across ministries, departments and
agencies at the 3-tier federal, state and local
governments and accessible to the ACL.
• Pilot projects of all sizes may be required as
models for delivery and public mobilization.
• Details of these are to be worked out by
Committee of Experts under ACL/WB-
NEWMAP collaboration expressed as Work
Papers of the various components of the ACL
Proposal.

37. Components of the ACL Proposal
The ACL proposal has five major components as
follows:
a) To map, identify points, assess and harvest
silt at small, medium and large scale efforts;
b) To remove Silt from clog ups;
c) To package and distribute fertile soil;
d) To refill and restore denuded space; and
e) To mobilize people for a sustainable silt
management to check erosion crisis in
Nigeria.

38. Participants in the Project
The Project will include the following Participants:
a) The World Bank - Nigeria Erosion and
Watershed Management Project (WB-
NEWMAP).
b) The AANDEC Consult Limited
c) Relevant Ministries, Department and
Agencies (MDAs) at all levels (Federal,
State and Local governments).
d) Other relevant partners/institutions as
may be required.

39. PROJECT BENEFITS

40. Immediate Outcomes
• The immediate outcomes of the proposed Silt
Management will contribute to the solutions of the
erosion crises in Nigeria opening of natural and
alternative water courses and reservoirs and reduce the
ferocity of floods aggravating massive erosion across the
land.
• This process will also provide canals for water flow and
irrigation; reopen and replenish ponds and lakes; reinforce
valleys and plains; rehabilitate and restore landscapes,
forestry, farmlands and wildlife habitats.
• Primary sectoral impact on the environment and
agriculture will trigger rural and community development
in aid of agricultural produce and effective remedy to
hazards of climate change.

41. Short and Long Term Impacts
• Short and long terms impact will be felt in
employment and income generation, boost in
grassroots activities, including prosperity-
induced peace among the people.
• Other attractions will include investments,
tourism, community governance and
sustainable development.
• This break-point project will also usher in a
strategic management process model for
handling other major crises impedimental to
national development.

42. CONCLUSION

43. Summary
• The World Bank earmarks $500m for anti-erosion
projects in Nigeria which requires partnership of
competent agencies to improve on its ‘moderately
unsatisfactory’ success rates.
• The AANDEC-ACL, with its capacity and purpose-
driven membership, has the man power, knowledge,
skills and strategic capability for competent
partnership with the WB-NEWMAP anti-erosion
project in Nigeria.
• Silt management is identified as the critical
component of the anti-erosion process often
neglected, creating a strategic gap to be filled by the
AANDEC-ACL in pursue of its ‘constructive
engagement with the larger society’.

44. Conclusion
• It is concluded that projects such as this, involving
remarkably large scale grants and counter-funding
at various governmental levels, would require open
and competent partnership by relevant
stakeholders.
• That the AANDEC-ACL could organize and
coordinate resources and various stakeholders to
undertake the process of silt management to fill-in
the strategic gap in the overall anti-erosion project.
• And, that there is immediate-, short- and long-term
multi-sectoral multiplier benefits in project
enhancement, socio-economic capacity building,
and progress in Nigeria at large.

45. Recommendations
The following recommendations and
implementation strategies are forwarded for
consideration by the AANDEC-ACL with a view
to realizing the feasibility of this Concept Note:

46. Recommendation 1
AANDEC-ACL should establish a Committee of experts
to produce a Technical Assessment and Business Plan
for Silt Management Project within the World Bank
Anti-Erosion project.
Implementation Strategies:
a. AANDEC President to commission a Planning
Committee to shortlist experts, within and outside
the Association, to study and come up with
Technical Assessment and Business Plan
b. AANDEC-ACL to engage profession project planners
or consultants to tidy up or standardize the
Technical Assessment and Business Plan

47. Recommendation 2
AANDEC-ACL should conduct an inter-agency
stakeholder buy-in process, for approaching the WB-
NEWMAP, for partnership in the Anti-erosion project.
Implementation Strategies:
a. Contact with relevant Ministries, Departments and
Agencies for stakeholder meeting to build a
common ground for approaching the World Bank
on the Project.
b. Contact with higher authorities, like the Presidency,
National Assembly and other Influencers to support
the Proposal.

48. Recommendation 3
AANDEC-ACL should approach the World Bank for
partnership through the Silt Management Project
proposal.
Implementation Strategies:
a. Study and align with World Bank protocols on
project partnership and standard practice before
the final approach.
b. Solicit for support from individuals, groups,
agencies and any stakeholder or influencer with
ability to facilitate the AANDEC/World Bank
Constructive Engagement.

49. Reference
• Charkin, S., Hallman, B., Hudson, M., Schili-Gallego, C., & Shifflett, S. (2015). How
the World Bank broke its promise to protect the poor. Huffinton Post,
Wednesday, April 15. Rerieved from
http://projects.huffingtonpost.com/worldbank-evicted-abandoned
• Haggai, P. (2016). Interview with Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics
and Senior Research Fellow, Research Directorate, National Institute for Policy
and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru – Jos, Tuesday, 22 November, 2016, 12:30pm.
• Ofomata, G. E. K. (1987). Soil erosion in Nigeria: The views of a geomarphologist.
University of Nigeria Lecture Series No. 7, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Retrieved from http://www.unn.edu.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/No-7-
Inaugral-Lecture.pdf. 6/12/16
• ‘The First Aphorism of the 100 Aphorisms of the Gorean Warrior Codes’.
Retrieved from http://city-of-jasmine.jimdo.com/roleplayers/warriors-of-
jasmine/complete-warrior-code-and-aphorisms/ 8 December 2016.
• The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank
(IBRD/WB). (2010). The World Bank in Nigeria 1998-2007: Nigeria country
assistance evaluation. A World Bank Publications. Retrieved from
http://www.worldbank.org 6/12/16
• http://ng.geoview.info/centre_for_geodesy_and_geodynamics_toro,35142434p.

50. THANK YOU