Taming of the Niger

WATCHING a powerful, wild stallion galloping free as the breeze is an inspiring sight. So also is a powerful river a thing of beauty. But just as a wild stallion is of limited service to man, so too is an untamed river.

Thus, in 1964 Nigeria set out on a bold scheme to tame the Niger, the third largest river on the African continent. The Niger flows through five countries in West Africa. Starting in Guinea, it winds through Mali and the Niger Republic, along the northern border of Dahomey, and flows hundreds of miles down through Nigeria before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

The principal aim was to harness the river