Following the incessant attack, kidnapping and killing of seafarers on the nation's territorial water, a renewed case has been made to the federal government by stakeholders for the creation of a Coast Guard to serve as para-military organ in the fight to secure the waterways and coast.
The stakeholders reiterated that NIMASA as a maritime agency of government is saddled with too many responsibilities and there is the need to create an outfit that can take the responsibility of the agency and police our waters.
Following the incessant attack, kidnapping and killing of seafarers on the nation's territorial water, a renewed case has been made to the federal government by stakeholders for the creation of a Coast Guard to serve as para-military organ in the fight to secure the waterways and coast.
The stakeholders reiterated that NIMASA as a maritime agency of government is saddled with too many responsibilities and there is the need to create an outfit that can take the responsibility of the agency and police our waters.
According to them, Coast Guard can serve as the maritime security agency, and will be saddled with the responsibility of curbing all illegal activities that rae currently very rampant at sea.
Registrar, Freight Forwarding Academy Nigeria (FFAN),Mazi Joseph Anabaroanye told Shipping Position Daily,last week in Lagos that the Act which established NIMASA shows that it has a lot of responsibilities, thus an outfit should be created to address safety on the nation's territorial waters.
Anabaroanye said that the rate of attacks on seafarers is alarming, therefore it needs to be addressed through the creation of a para-military out.
"The issue of attack on the sea is also one of the reasons that we have been clamouring for the establishment of a Coast Guard", he said, even as he added that: "It is not whether you establish another agency or not, because NIMASA has the responsibility to safeguard our coast and even as it is NIMASA should establish a Coast Guard to take care of the sea in order to ensure the safety of the people working at sea".
He stressed that the Coast Guard could still be made answerable to NIMASA.
According to him, the Joint Task Force (JTF) which comprises of the Navy, Army and Air Force has its own functions to perform, he maintained that JTF has nothing to do with merchant shipping.
"What we need is to create a Coast Guard and if NIMASA is finding it difficult to establish that, then we can say it has a lackluster attitude toward the security of our waters", he said.
"NIMASA should go back to the drawing board and establish a Coast Guard because this body will serve as a paramilitary organisation and so create it then let them have responsibility to safeguard our waters so that people in shipping operation will have some sense of security whenever at sea".
"As it is, NIMASA has no option than to create a Coast Guard that can protect our maritime domain and the earlier they do that the better for us"
On his part ,Rector , Stars Maritime Academy; Dr. Reuben Ovai also argued that the establishment of a Coast Guard is long overdue.
He urged the federal government to create a platform whereby the Coast Guard can complement the Navy in the area of security and safety within the nation's maritime domain.
The Rector said that security at sea goes beyond the supervision of a single agency like Navy and that the synergy between the Coast Guard and the Navy will bring about safety at sea.
However, a seafarer; Anthony Effiong said that with the establishment of a Coast Guard will reduce attacks on vessels, mostly the trawlers that navigate the Niger Delta region.
He wondered why container and RoRo vessels are not attacked, adding that the lives of the seafarers are always at the mercy of sea robbers due to lack of security on the nation’s waters.
He maintained that there is an urgent need to create a Coastguard to keep surveillance at sea, adding that once this is done , there will be drastic reduction of illegalities at sea.
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