Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dele Ezeoba, has urged stakeholders in the maritime sector to partner with the Nigerian Navy to keep Nigeria's waters free from attacks.
Ezeoba made the call in Lagos last week at a maritime industry programme, even as he said that there was the need to collaborate to develop strategies to check threats such as piracy, oil theft, pipeline vandalism and smuggling.
Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dele Ezeoba, has urged stakeholders in the maritime sector to partner with the Nigerian Navy to keep Nigeria's waters free from attacks.
Ezeoba made the call in Lagos last week at a maritime industry programme, even as he said that there was the need to collaborate to develop strategies to check threats such as piracy, oil theft, pipeline vandalism and smuggling.
“ We acknowledge the President's efforts to re-invigorate the Navy. We, however, need more support as the logistics for supporting one navy ship is enormous," he said.
This came just as the Consul-General of the U. S. Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins, also expressed that the U.S. is concerned with the growing incidence of criminal activities off Nigeria’s coast.
Hawkins and the CNS spoke at the same event.
But more specifically, the Ambassador said there seemed to be ineffectual security response to the growing criminal activities.
According to him, “both the available data and the anecdotal evidence suggest that the situation is only worsening.“We have difficulty seeing how it is going to get better in the near-term without major improvements in institutional collaboration and a marked increase in political will,’’ Hawkins said.
But, Ezeoba who was represented by the Chief of Naval Doctrine and Assessment, Admiral Peter Agba, said that some of the nation's assets were inadequately protected.
He said : “Assets such as offshore oil fields in Agbami, Usan and Bonga are not protected,'' he said.
Ezeoba said the Navy had intensified patrol efforts to secure the maritime environment within the last four months.
The Consul-General, on his part, said that the bodies expected to protect and defend the maritime commerce in Nigeria were instead perceived to be undermining it, saying that this could then mean that there was a huge problem.
He said Nigeria had a lot of potential, but the challenge was realising the potential.
Hawkins said that more than anything else there must be an increase in the political will to effect substantial and sustainable positive change in Nigeria’s maritime environment.
“Many interlocutors have asserted to us that this is the biggest hurdle. The impetus to do things differently, transparently, effectively and in line with global best practices has been lacking,’’ he said.
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