Against the background of significant achievements in ensuring maritime security in 2018, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas has restated the commitment of the Nigerian Navy (NN) to a safer maritime domain for genuine maritime activities to thrive.
The CNS gave the assurance while defending the 2019 Nigerian Navy Budget before the Senate Committee on the Navy.
The CNS also stated that in view of the vital role played by the NN in defence of the nation’s maritime interests, it is expedient for the Federal Government to invest more in the re-capitalization of capital assets and other infrastructure for the Nigerian Navy to effectively secure Nigeria’s vast maritime environment.
Vice Admiral Ibas noted that there has been progressive increase in the percentage of foiled attacks on shipping over the last 4 years with significantly fewer attacks on shipping.
This, he emphasized, is attributable to increased NN deterrence posture and dominance at sea, facilitating increased shipping and cargo tonnage into Nigeria.
He specifically noted that the Nigerian Shippers Council affirms a 31.24 per cent increase in volume of cargo into Nigeria, 21 per cent rise in associated coastal activities between 2017 and 2018, a 27 per cent increase in vessel registration and a 10.3 per cent increase in port calls by foreign vessels.
“The aforementioned increases are indicative of a more conducive maritime business environment through the efforts of the NN”, he further revealed.
He stated that the Nigerian Navy has expanded its sphere of influence in response to increasing migratory threats by establishing new bases across the country and entering into bilateral and multilateral relations with countries in the sub-region.
The CNS added that regional maritime security initiatives like the deployment of watch-keepers to the Maritime Trade Information Sharing Centre in Ghana as well as the Multi-National Maritime Coordination Centre in Benin Republic have been actualized.
He also revealed that the Nigerian Navy also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Heads of Navies of ECOWAS Zone E member countries namely, Benin Republic, Togo and the Gendarmerie of Niger Republic for joint patrols of our common maritime environment.
Vice Admiral Ibas stated that other international commitments of the Nigerian Navg included participation in annual multinational maritime exercises such as the Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS and Exercise NEMO.
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He noted that the NN in 2018 conducted the biennial International Maritime Conference and Regional Maritime Sea Exercise which drew participation from over 20 allied navies including the USA, China, Portugal, France, Ghana and Cameroun amongst others.
Ibas further stated that the commitment of the Service to addressing insecurity on the domestic scene comes via various joint operations with the sister Services such as OP DELTA SAFE, LAFIYA DOLE, CROCODILE SMILE, AWATSE, SAFE HAVEN and SHARAN DAJI.
According to the CNS, the Nigerian Navy has also sustained critical single service operations such as Operation RIVER SWEEP, TSARE TEKU as well as the Choke Point Control Regime.
He confirmed that the aforementioned efforts have led to drastic reduction in the incidence of crude oil theft as affirmed by statistics from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation indicating a drastic reduction in national crude oil losses from pipelines from N51.28 billion in 2015 to just N4.17 billion in 2017.
He envisaged that going by this trend, even more savings are expected at the conclusion of the estimates for Year 2018.
Other modest achievements of the NN in 2018 also include the construction of several jetties, particularly the reconstruction of Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft jetty, completion and commissioning of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Calabar and the establishment of the Nigerian Navy Military School at Ikot-Ntuen in Akwa Ibom State.
According to the CNS, this is in addition to the induction of over 200 Riverine Patrol Boats (RPBs) into Nigerian Navy inventory as well as progression of the contract for construction of the Landing Ship Tank (LST), Hydrography ship and other RPBs.
He informed that the NN in 2018 also made significant progress in her manpower development efforts through the recruitment of 1,106 and 1,176 ratings in batches 27 and 28 respectively while 118 and 141 officers were also enlisted through Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) Courses 24 and 25 respectively in 2018.
He said that plans are currently at advanced stages for the recruitment of about 3,000 ratings for Batch 29, while the training of 120 Midshipmen of NDA 66 and 73 cadets of DSSC 26 is ongoing.
Considering the above recorded modest achievements, Vice Admiral Ibas stated that the Nigerian Navy will do a lot more in year 2019 and beyond.
This expectation would be realized with improved funding of the Nigerian Navy for enhanced performance in the delivery of NN mandate of ensuring peaceful and safer water ways for genuine maritime activities to thrive thereby boosting Nigeria’s economy, he added.
Suleman Dahun
Commodore
for Chief of the Naval Staff
