Abstract

The criminal activities taking place in most waterfront have contributed to up rise in the

state of insecurity we experience in our nation. This has been attributed to lack of policy

on waterfront by Nigeria government. The study aimed at addressing government

waterfront policy in Nigeria and also possible ways to curb criminality in waterfront.

Further, the study identified various unscrupulous activities that constitute criminality in

the water such as hideout to criminals, cult activities, sales of illegal drugs, and illegal

oil refining, etc. Base on the foregoing the recommends ways to curb criminality in

waterfront by ensuring that most of the people living at the waterfront who have nothing

to do, should be giving employment opportunities. Again, that the Rivers State and

Nigerian Government should set up an agency with the responsibility of setting up

policies for the purpose of redevelopment of the various waterfronts settlements across

the nation in general.

Keywords: policy, criminality, government, waterfront, environment, Rivers State.

1.1 Introduction

Most of the children born in the waterfronts are exposed to the criminal activities and are

endangered with this unhealthy situation. This may lead to most cities in the Niger-Delta

region especially in Port Harcourt running the risk of losing the next generation. The

practical implication of leaving the waterfronts in their present state is that more than

sixty percent of the population of Port Harcourt will continue to live in sub human

conditions without any form of infrastructure. In most countries, various forms of policies
and regulations are implemented to improve physical, economic, social and spatial

imbalances (Singh, 1994).

Waterfront settlement, also called waterside started as informal settlements where farmers

and fishermen who brought in food and fish from the hinterland and riverine

communities to Port Harcourt to sell, made their temporary homes during their trips.

Waterfront settlements were not popular in the city of Port Harcourt until after the civil

war. They actually started as a small group of houses but have grown over the years to

very large settlements with some of these settlements having populations’ well over ten

thousand persons. Waterfronts settlements are now found all around the coastlines of Port

Harcourt.

Obafemi and Odubo (2013) put the total number of waterfront settlements in Port

Harcourt to be Forty-nine (49) and estimated the population of the waterfronts to account

for about 65% of the city's population. On his part, Kio-Lawson (2014) put the total

number of waterfronts settlements at thirty-two. Amnesty International (2010) estimates

the population of the waterfronts settlers to be between 200,000 and500, 000.The very

high crime rate in the waterfront settlements, presence of mafia style gangs and the use of

the waterfronts as easy gateway for militias and criminals into and out of the city of Port

Harcourt undetected, and absence of any form of infrastructure in these settlements have

been a major concern to succeeding governments in Rivers State so far. In fact the living

conditions in the waterfronts areas are subhuman.

The social and environmental problems associated with them had been nightmarish to

both government and residents of the water front. Though it has been established that
“housing famine” in the city has been responsible for their springing up, the continuous

astronomical increase in the city’s population had fuelled the expansion of these informal

settlements (Kio-Lawson, 2013). The city of Port Harcourt has grown from a population

of 235,093 in 1963, to a population over 1.5 million people (NBS, 2012). As a result of

the growth due to the influx of people into Port Harcourt from the rural areas and other

states in Nigeria in search of blue collar jobs, there was an increase in rental and land

values beyond the reach of the low income earners. This rapid growth is as a result of the

Rivers State being host to several multi-national oil companies.

The resulting implication was a high cost in renting residential accommodation in the city

especially in the planned residential areas (Kio-Lawson, 2013). The difficulties in

affording the high rent charged by private landlords compelled some residents to move

away to provide “a roof over head” at the waterfront along the coastline where land is

less desirable and cost of erecting a home is relatively low cost (Kio-Lawson,

2014).There are many more waterfront settlements scattered across the Creeks in Rivers

State and other major Cities in the Niger Delta.

In developed countries, waterfronts are focal points in many cities, with the wealthy and

very influential in the society owning houses or living in them. They are areas of natural

beauty, commercial potential and desirability. These areas have high value commercial

and residential properties with great investment potential. In developed countries

waterfronts are developed with modern infrastructure like good road network, electricity

and water supply etc. The waterfronts in the developed countries are continuously being
regenerated to meet their needs of the twenty- first century and having sustainability in

mind.

In Rivers State, an attempt by the erstwhile administration in 2008 planned to carry out a

comprehensive regeneration of all the waterfronts was met with street protests, litigation

and violence as past attempts at urban renewal led to mass displacement of the

inhabitants of the waterfronts. During the Military era, the Rivers State government also

tried to deal with the waterfront settlement problem by building Low income housing

estates at for example Aggrey road waterfront and Ndoki waterfront to improve the

environmental condition and enhance the quality of life of the average resident but the

houses were eventually sold to the highest bidders with very few of the waterfront

dwellers benefitting from the scheme. It is against this backdrop that the study is focused

on Government policies on waterfront and possible ways to curb criminality in

waterfront.

1.2 Crime and Criminality: A Conceptual Framework

Crime is said to be as old as society itself. The definition, form and concept of crime,

however, change with passage of time and regimes and attitudinal dimensions of society.

Some crimes, in course of time, become obsolete and some assume new and broader

dimensions. Accordingly, definitions pour out from various jurists and criminologists

depending on the times they live in. The word crime owes its genesis to the Greek

expression ‘Krimos’, which is synonymous with the Sanskrit word ‘Krama’, meaning

social order. Thus the word crime is applied to those acts that go against social order and
are worthy of serious condemnation. The word crime has also its origin in a Latin word,

meaning ‘to accuse’ and a Sanskrit word ‘kri’(to do). Combining the modem meaning of

both the roots, crime is a ‘most validly accusable act’.

Garofalo (1851-1934) defines crime in some sociological perspective in the following

words: “Crime is an immoral and harmful act that is regarded as criminal by public

opinion, because it is an injury to so much of the moral sense as is possessed by a

community- a measure which is indispensable for the adaptation of the individual

society” In this definition Garofalo (1851-1934) says that crimes are those acts, which no

civilized society can refuse to recognize as criminal and are repressible by punishment.

He considers crime to have been some act ‘labelled’ as criminal by public opinion. His

emphasis is also on die moral wrong, but there is quite an array of conduct which, though

derogate from the cherished value of the community, are not considered crimes, for

instance, immoral acts like ingratitude, hard heartedness, callous disregard for sufferings

of others, though immoral, do not constitute crime. There are, likewise, some harmless

crimes like vagrancy and loitering, some prophylactic crimes like consorting and

possession of prohibited goods, for example, weapons, drugs, illegal imports, and goods

unlawfully obtained, but because social expediency requires that.

Gillin (1871- 1958), a renowned sociologist gives a sociological definition of crime, as he

says “Crime is an act that has been shown to be actually harmful to society, or that is

believed to be socially harmful by a group of people that has the power to enforce its

beliefs, and that places such act under the ban of positive penalties.” Another sociological

concept of crime is seen in The ‘Organic Analogy Theory’, which understands human
society as made up of inter-related organs, and any act, which disrupts or threatens to

disrupt the functioning of the system is criminal (Jerome 1960). By adhering to this

analogy it forms a consensus of society and any action perpetrated by any person

constitutes an act of crime and the person is also criminal.

In Soviet Russia crime has been defined in terms of socially dangerous acts. “A socially

dangerous act (commission or omission) provided for by the criminal law, which

infringes the Soviet social or state system, the social economics system, socialist

property, and the other rights of citizens, or any other socially dangerous acts provided

for by the criminal

Law, which infringes the socialist legal order, shall be deemed to be a crime” (Bassiouni

and Savitsky 1979). Therefore what constitutes crime and criminality are numerous and

cannot be overemphasized.

1.3 Dimension of waterfront

The waterfronts settlements in the Niger Delta area are characterized by poor housing

conditions, high crime rate, absence of infrastructure, poor environmental conditions and

sub human living conditions; they are generally slums and derelict land providing

opportunity for regeneration to link the rest of the city an expanse of water seen as

supporting amenity and leisure activities. Generally, a waterfront is the zone of

interaction between urban development and the water. A waterfront area is considered as

a unique and irreplaceable natural resource. It is the interface between land, water, air,
sun and productive plants (Wrenn, 1983). The seashore and riverfront are the most

attractive water bodies for human settlement.

Waterfront is defined as a zone of interaction between urban development and the water.

It is here that the needs of the water, the city, and its inhabitants come together. Breen &

Rigby (1994) sees waterfront as the water’s edge in cities and towns while the water body

may be a river, lake, ocean, bay, creek, or canal. On the other hand, Zhang (2002)

characterized waterfront as a place that integrates land with water and has a natural

attraction to people. The seashore and riverfront are said to be the most attractive water

features for human settlement. It is common to develop land in front of water earlier than

the inland areas in most countries.

Hussein (2006) defined an urban waterfront as a dynamic area where cities engage their

shorelines. On the other hand, Dong (2004) described waterfront as a land fronting on to

water. However, other researchers have different preferences and use other different

words such as such as city port, harbour front, riverside, river edge and riverfront (Hoyle,

2002; Hussein, 2006; Mann, 1973). Guo (1998) as cited in Dong (2004) described the

waterfront as the area where water meets the land. The distance would be approximately

200 to 300 meters from the water line and one to two kilometres to the site.

Dong (2004) also cited Wu & Gao (2002) who stated that waterfront area should have

different features which incorporate each other. The area is usually surrounded by

structural and non-structural objects to form a focal point. Waterfront is a public space,

and this space is commonly shared and created for the community to accommodate a

variety of activities without any discrimination or interferences (Kurniawati, 2012).

In most countries, the land in front of water bodies is developed prior to the inland areas.

Bruttomesso identifies three types of activities (3Rs) which waterfronts normally require;

Recomposition i.e. giving a common unitary sense to the different parts, both physical

and functional, of the waterfront, Regeneration meaning to revitalizing urban areas which

can be of considerable size and often centrally located; and Recovery: the restructuring

and restoration of existing buildings and structures (Bruttomesso, 2001). Furthermore,

various forms of criminality expressed in various waterfront in Nigeria and Rivers State

specifically includes:

1) Illegal drugs sale (e.g tramadol, cocaine, etc.)

2) Illegal oil refining

3) Pick pocketing

4) Various cult activities and hideout for criminals etc.

1.4 Constraints against the Effective Redevelopment of Waterfronts in Port Harcourt

Some of the constraints that have militated against the effective redevelopment of the

various waterfronts scattered all over Port Harcourt are discussed below:

i. Lack of resettlement plan for the displaced residents

Urban redevelopment plans in Nigeria usually lack any plan on how to effectively

accommodate the masses displaced (Shuaeeb, 2013). In carrying out redevelopment

programs, the Government does not usually have any prior plan to provide temporary

accommodation for those who are displaced by the exercise. The settlements are usually

hurriedly carried out by the Government. The inability to adequately accommodate

further increases the growth of the informal settlements and exposes the populace to

untold environmental hazards (Shuaeeb, 2013). This creates a vicious cycle as those who

are displaced move away from the demolished sites due to lack of accommodation and

starts a news settlement all over.

ii. Lack of adequate information on the number of persons (or households affected

by regeneration projects

In carrying out regeneration exercises government do not normally have adequate data on

the number of person, households and structures affected by the project. They hurriedly

demolished the settlements without taking note of the number of persons affected; they

propose numbers of housing units they have to provide as alternative relocation areas

without having a correct data on the number of persons affected (Obefemi and Odubo

2013). The lack of accurate data affects planning which ultimately led to failure of the

project, as the people not housed moves to start a new settlement.

iii. Ethnic sentiments of riverine and upland divide and minority ethnic group

politics

The politics of Upland and Riverine in Rivers state is a major constraint in the successful

regeneration of the various waterfronts settlements. The Riverine people who have most

of the houses in the waterfronts see such exercises as been targeted at them and an

attempt to displace them. Unfortunately the last unsuccessful attempts to regenerate the

waterfronts were initiated by Governors from Ikwerre ethnic nationality, an upland part

of Rivers State. Also the Okrikans who own part of Port Harcourt see it as an attempt by
the Ikwerres to eject them from their land. The Ogonis too have raised similar objections

(Kio-Lawson, 2014).

iv. Failure of past efforts by government in waterfront regeneration

The failure of past regeneration programs have made the inhabitants to be skeptical of

these programs of Government. They point to past unfulfilled promises of settlement by

Government in similar exercises as the reason they oppose current regeneration efforts.

The waterfront dweller point to failure of past efforts as been responsible for all the fears

they have expressed about the perceived insincerity of The Rivers Government to keep

their promises. These fears were proved when the Government suddenly demolished

some waterfront settlements without fulfilling any of its promise (Obafemi and Odubo,

2013).

1.5 Government Policies on Waterfront

A policy is a statement on paper by the government or an establishment as regards the

way and manner in which identified problems are to be solved (Sulyman, 2000). To this

end, different sectors of the economy have policies that are used in tackling peculiar

problems. Hence, the waterfront policy is a tool that is used in planning and for solving

waterfront problems, and consequently for the achievement of sustainable livelihood.

Policy implementation and redevelopment of the waterfronts programs have successfully

been carried out in developed countries to tackle environmental issues (Mustard and

Ostendorf, 2008). In Nigeria very few states (if any) have a well thought out plan for the

waterfront settlement or informal settlements. In the case of Rivers State, there is no

Agency or ministry of Government that is specifically charged with the planning and

implementation of waterfront redevelopment policies. The ministry of Urban

development tends to oversee the programmes of waterfront redevelopment when there is

an attempt at regeneration. There are not laid down policies or programs to regenerate the

waterfront, they are only done at the discretion of the Governor of a state. Hence, what

Nigeria has is policy on housing and water resources that gives the government the legal

right to control all water resources. However, it becomes disheartening to posit that

Nigeria careless on activities on waterfront which other nations have turn it to be a hub

for tourism. Regrettably, our waterfront due to lack of policy have turnout to be home to

poor and displace citizens, hideout for criminals and other unscrupulous elements.

1.6 Possible Ways to Curb Criminality in Waterfront

There were increasing crime issues reported by the public. The public has become more

worried about their safety and this is said to lessen the quality of life. This has prompted

government to launch programs to ensure the public safety. The public is also urged to be

more aware of the surroundings and take safety precautions especially when they are in

crowded public spaces such as at the waterfront. Thus, this research is carried out as there

is a need to propose good design approaches to curb criminality in waterfront and they

includes the following:

1. The government and its police force should adopt a “Crime Prevention

Campaign”, by creating “Mobile Police Bit / Station”, at the waterfront that will be

patrolling the neighbourhoods. If these program is well introduced, it will reduce

 the crime rate statistic and increase fear of committing crime. As most police

officers are also involved to patrol the neighbourhood areas, this will enable them

to communicate directly with the society and make them feel safe and secured.

However, it should be noted that the society should also participate in most of

these programs and be more caring and concerned of their neighbours through

police community relations.

2. Since most of the people living the waterfront are criminals who have nothing to

do, the government should generate more employment opportunities. When this is

actualized, it will aid people to take good care of their physiological needs and

other demands of life. However, it is said that an idle mind is a devil’s workshop.

Emeodu (2018) posited that when such opportunity is granted, people will be

focused on major achievement than involving in criminal activities which is

antithetical to development, peace and security.

3. Another way to curb criminality in this area is for the government to use the water

front for tourist activities or build up structures that can generate revenue to the

state. When this achieved the criminals inhabiting in the area will not have access

to indulge in their nefarious activities.

4. The Rivers State Government should set up an agency with the responsibility of

setting up policies for the purpose of redevelopment of the various waterfronts

settlements in Port Harcourt. The policy should encourage the private sector to invest

in redevelopment programmes, and this will help towards reducing crime in the

waterfront.
1.8 Conclusion.

The issue on government policy waterfront in Nigeria is not realistic at the moment.

What Nigeria had is policy on water resources. They are interested with natural resources

but not focusing attention on citizen’s settlement in the waterfront. Policies on waterfront

is a state concern in Nigeria which is directed by the Governor at his will. The study

through its findings revealed various crimes exhibited by inhabitants of waterfront in

Nigeria and Rivers State specifically as engaging in illegal drugs sales, pickpocketing,

cult activities and hideout for criminals. It is against this the study recommended for

ways to curb criminality in the waterfront by adopting effective policy on waterfront.

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