The National Assembly has been urged to expedite action on the passage of the anti-piracy bill into law so as to enable the country determine the quality of safety and security that should exist within the maritime space.
The judiciary will also need to complement the efforts agencies involved in securing Nigeria's maritime domain by accelerating the adjudication of cases brought to the courts
Presenting a paper on "Ensuring Safe and Secure Waterways Transportation " at the 2017 World Maritime Day in Lagos, the Commandant, Nigerian Defense College, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Adejimi Oshinowo, noted that the value of safe and secure waterways was hinged on primal commitment to preventive measures, a deterrent posture, effective response capacity and functional legal regulatory framework.
Oshinowo reiterated the need to restructure the national ports architecture and renovate related infrastructure including the approaches to meet requisite codes and standards. The present state is a source of disturbance to the navy, he said, as it falls short of international expectations.
To further improve maritime security in Nigerian territorial waters, Oshinowo noted that concerted effort must be made to intensify inter-agency and cross-border collaboration.
"Further combined effort is required from government (federal) and states through strengthening of collaborative mechanism on implementation of national and international maritime security commitments”.
"In addition to development of a national maritime strategies, ratification and domestication of laws on maritime safety and security as well as robust profiling capacity within the industry and among the maritime security agencies are vital ", he stressed.
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