The Provisional Committee for the Establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG), has urged the Senate to pass the Nigerian Coast Guard Establishment Bill.
The committee said that the passage of the bill would strengthen maritime security, create jobs and accelerate Nigeria’s economic growth through the Blue Economy.
This is contained in a statement on Tuesday, by the PC-NCG Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Dr Piriye Kiyaramo.
The bill is currently before the Senate at the third reading stage where it was stepped down for further legislative action over concerns of duplication of roles and funding.
Kiyaramo quoted the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the committee, retired Noah Ichaba as saying that Nigeria could no longer afford further delays in addressing gaps in maritime law enforcement, security and governance.
Ichaba noted that the absence of a dedicated coast guard had created institutional gaps, overlapping mandates, fragmented funding and limited operational capacity.
”What is required now is the political will to move from recognition to resolution, and from debate to decision,” he said.
He said the senate had a constitutional responsibility to provide the legal framework required to secure Nigeria’s maritime domain.
He emphasised that the coast guard bill was central to establishing an effective institutional framework for protecting Nigeria’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
According to him, a statutory coast guard will provide a dedicated civilian-led agency for search and rescue, fisheries protection and pollution control.
”It will also support maritime law enforcement, particularly across Nigeria’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
”An improved maritime security will create a safer environment for investments in shipping, ports, aquaculture, offshore energy and coastal tourism.”
He added that the sector could also stimulate coastal trade and strengthen Nigeria’s broader blue economy agenda.
Ichaba said a coast guard would improve responses to piracy, illegal fishing, oil theft and environmental degradation affecting coastal communities.
He noted that more than 30 million Nigerians living in coastal states depended directly or indirectly on the marine environment for their livelihoods.
He said that the proposed agency would clarify responsibilities among maritime institutions and reduce duplication of functions.
According to him, this will promote better coordination and ensure more efficient utilisation of public resources.
He emphasised that sustainable development of Nigeria’s ocean resources could contribute significantly to GDP and create millions of direct and indirect jobs.
”The establishment of a Nigerian coast guard is not about institutional competition. It is about clarifying roles, improving coordination, protecting lives and property, securing coastal communities, and unlocking Nigeria’s blue economy potential,” he said.
He cautioned against further delays based on arguments that Nigeria’s circumstances were different from those of other maritime nations.
He said such arguments should not prevent the country from considering institutional structures successfully adopted elsewhere.
”The issue before us is no longer whether the need exists, but whether the senate will demonstrate the courage to translate established facts and national necessity into law,” Ichaba said.
He urged senators to assess the bill based on constitutional, operational, economic, security and national-interest considerations.
”Let the 10th senate be remembered for choosing Nigeria at the moment it needed institutional courage,” he said.
Ichaba also appealed to maritime stakeholders to place Nigeria’s collective maritime interests above institutional rivalry, while appealing to government agencies, regulators, industry operators, coastal communities, labour, academia and development partners to support constructive engagement.
The provisional committee is responsible for advocacy, technical engagements and stakeholder consultations towards establishing a statutory Nigerian Coast Guard.
The proposed coast guard is expected to complement existing maritime security agencies while supporting sustainable development of Nigeria’s blue economy.
