Expert advocates more funding for efficient Hydrography in Nigeria

Tayo Oladipupo      |

Former Hydrographer of the Navy, Commodore Joseph Abulu (Rtd) has called on the Federal Government to accommodate the Hydrography department of the Nigerian Navy in the presidency for better funding.

He said that based on the importance of the department to the development of the Nigerian maritime, lack of adequate funding has stunted the efficiency of the national charter.

Abulu spoke with our correspondent during the recent World Hydrography Day celebration held in Lagos.

Making reference to the Federal Survey that is being accommodated in the presidency, the former Anambra state governor stated that similar gesture should be extended to Hydrography adding that the Navy’s budget could not fund it; rather, its funding should be inculcated in the country’s annual budget.

“There should be a commission made of the Navy as chairman and other agencies as members and then as Federal Survey has now been accommodated by the presidency,  their (Hydrography) funds should be provided for in the budget rather than being taken to the Navy. 

“The Navy cannot fund it, it should be incorporated in the budget because that is how other countries like India, U.K. and even the US operate their Hydrography and it is funded directly from the presidency. 

“We tried this at that time, we didn’t succeed but they are still trying to put together the commission now,” he said.

According to him, the agency has improved in recent times compared to what obtained when he held sway as the Hydrographer of the Navy.

He added that during his time, the Hydrography department had no capital vote from the Navy which made things difficult for them to operate.

He maintained that he resorted to begging to fund the department at that time which led him to making several innovations to better the lot of the agency but without success.

“In my time, we tried to make Hydrography a national issue and we tried to create a department not only for the Navy but for the Federal Government.

“In fact, at that time I had to change the nomenclature from being a Hydrographer to the Navy to being the Hydrographer to the Federal Government and that was how I operated and that is how it is supposed to be.

“In a way, I think things are improving, in my days, it was very difficult and the hydrographer  didn’t have a vote from the Navy, we depended on begging, ad hoc arrangement and the Hydrographer couldn’t really move forward that was why at a time, I moved off from the Navy and became a national Hydrographer because I was now relating more with the presidency, that was how I operated and that also meant that rather than just focusing on Hydrography, I was having a lot of national issues cooperating with a lot of agencies 

“Today, government is becoming more aware and this conference is a result of that awareness and also promoting such awareness where government and Navy are now getting more involved in hydrography,” he stated.

Hydrography is  the scientific study of seas, lakes, and rivers, especially the charting of tides and changes in coastal bathymetry or the measurement and recording of river flow.

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