Abstract

The Benue River has served as a medium of transportation for diverse groups since the pre colonial period. Indigenous traders and fishers along the riverine areas and merchants from far flung areas conducted commercial activities along the rivers long before the advent of the European colonial rule in the late 19th Century. The paper using historical method of enquiry such as archival documents and other relevant documentary source materials like journal and textbooks, including oral interviews seeks to interrogates the volume of trafficks or voyages along the Makurdi axis of the Benue River since the advent of British colonial rule in the area. The paper observes that the areas around Makurdi witnessed tremendous maritime activities due to the involvement of both colonial officials and foreign firms and their agents who moved to and fro in search for cash crops and mineral resources. Paradoxically since the much celebrated oil boom era in the 1970s, maritime activities in the areas had declined remarkably largely due to dwindling commercial activities and navigational challenges such as shallow depth and sand deposits. To mitigate the challenges affecting maritime activities in the area the paper suggests a two prong approach; a compressive plan of action by the government to dredge the entire Niger, Benue inland water ways to enhance commercial exchange and a deliberate plan of action aimed at encouraging the mass of the population to embrace water transportation.