The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has assured the Navy the it would strengthen the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) existing between the toe agencies, even as a promise of more patrol boats has been made by the director general of NIMASA; Mr Patrick Akpobokemi.
The NIMASA boss gave this assurance yesterday when he received the Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba who led top echelon of the Navy to NIMASA.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has assured the Navy the it would strengthen the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) existing between the toe agencies, even as a promise of more patrol boats has been made by the director general of NIMASA; Mr Patrick Akpobokemi.
The NIMASA boss gave this assurance yesterday when he received the Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba who led top echelon of the Navy to NIMASA.
Akpobolokemi told the Naval boss that NIMASA would provide the Nigeria Navy with more platforms for the protection of the nation’s territorial waters against illegalities.
Akpobolokemi said that NIMASA is ready to complement the effort of the navy in ensuring that piracy and other menacing factors on the nation’s territorial waters come to an end.
The D.G who requested from the Chief of Naval Staff the materials that are needed by the navy to do their job effectively said the agency is ready to sponsor in their area of platforms to address security and safety challenges on the nation’s territorial waters.
Akpobolokemi affirmed that with the appointment of the new CNS, piracy and other nefarious activities within the nation’s maritime domain will be a thing of the past.
“We are rest assured that the Navy is up to the task and that is not say that there are no challenges’’, he acknowledged, even as he stated that: ‘’Amidst the challenges, we are quite optimistic that the navy under your leadership is going to improve tremendously and also the security of our maritime domain is going to get a very big boost.’’
‘’Whatever we in NIMASA will do to complement the effort as part of primary role in safeguarding the nation’s territorial waters we are going to partner with you and assist in getting the cardinal objective to be achieved’’ Akpobolokemi stated.
Harping on the need to sustain the NIMASA/Navy relationship tpo fight piracy and sea robbery, the NIMASA boss stressed that, ‘’we are not interested in coastguard to protect our territorial waters’’.
While fielding question from newsmen, the Chief of Naval Staff called on the government to provide ships and boats for the force to perform effectively. The naval chief said that the navy is ready to address security challenges that are abound in the maritime domain as far the necessary platforms are in place, adding that with the right empowerment ,piracy will be a thing of the past.
He said that there are lots of understanding by both government outfits to ensure safety on the nation’s coast and expressed optimism that the partnership with NIMASA will bring an end to illegalities on the nation’s waters.
Ezeoba reiterated that the partnership with NIMASA will be strengthened in all ramifications to ensure that both agencies could deliver on the President’s mandate to eradicate all forms of illegalities on the nation’s water which includes primarily, crude oil theft , illegal bunkering and piracy.
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