By Uzor Odigbo
President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that his administration is improving maritime security in the nation’s territorial waters and Gulf of Guinea to strengthen the national economy.
Buhari said this in Lagos when he flagged off maritime security assets procured by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) under the deep blue project.
Buhari who also called on member states of the Gulf of Guinea region and other private sector stakeholders to join hands in the fight against maritime crimes, expressed confidence that the project will provide robust maritime security architecture for the country
The President said “This project has been initiated to bolster the maritime security architecture and ensure greater enforcement action within Nigerian waters and beyond.
“This assemblage of new maritime security assets is coming at a critical time when global discussions are centered on piracy activities and the new dimension it has taken in the Gulf of Guinea region.
“With the world’s waters accounting for over 80% of transportation requirements of the global economy, concerted efforts and innovative actions are required to address attendant security challenges.
“Therefore, the flag-off of the DEEP BLUE Project marks an important milestone in this regard and in our collective effort to tackle security challenges in the form of piracy and other maritime crimes in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. It is also a demonstration of government’s strong commitment to ensuring security.
“This intervention, no doubt, will facilitate a conducive environment for the maritime sector to thrive and contribute to the diversification of the Nigerian economy.
“The DEEP BLUE project is a critical step towards the realization of maritime security in the region, which underscores Nigeria’s commitment in providing the necessary framework and resources in cooperation with other nations and maritime users.
“This is evident in the recently established Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Framework by Nigeria and the Inter-regional Coordination Centre Yaoundé through the facilitation of NIMASA/Industry Joint Working Group to tackle maritime security in the region.
“This forum is to help galvanize regional and international efforts to ensure security in the Gulf of Guinea. Its main focus is counter piracy and armed robbery prevention by bringing together regional, international, industry and NGO partners to advance and coordinate near-term maritime activities, with a view to working towards a set of common operational objectives off the coast of west and central Africa.
“I therefore, commend this initiative and use this opportunity to call on Member States and other stakeholders to join, and work collectively in pursuit of this common objective and most importantly, keeping our seafarers safe.
“I am confident that the project, which provides a robust maritime security architecture, will enhance maritime domain awareness capability and improve law enforcement action, particularly in the prosecution of suspects under the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act which I signed into law in June 2019.
“In this regard, I have been informed that since the coming into force of the law, ten convictions have been secured for various offences under the Act.
“This Flag-off is an important step in the continuing shift in strategic action about regional maritime security. It will serve as a benchmark for member states in the Gulf of Guinea and other relevant stakeholders to further develop innovative strategies and align efforts with the subsisting framework to improve maritime security in the region.
“I commend the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Honourable Minister of Defence, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Director General NIMASA, Members of the Steering Committee and the Project Management Team and all other government stakeholders who have worked together to bring this initiative of the administration to fruition.
“As we begin the operationalization phase of the project, I wish to assure you of government’s commitment to ensure its sustainability and invites all critical stakeholders to work collectively in this direction for the greater benefit of all Nigerians, member states of the Gulf of Guinea and the global maritime community”
Also speaking at the event, Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi described the project as an initiative from his office which he conceptualised and pursued to fruition.
Amaechi said as a former governor in the South South region, he knew the level of insecurity and killings going on in our waters and has been passionate about addressing them since he became minister in charge of the sector.
The Minister described the project as a laudable one that has suffered a lot of resistance from some persons in and out of governments with vested interests.
Amaechi added that some unpatriotic businesspeople operating in the country’s maritime domain never wanted the nation’s waters to be secured.
According to him , Nigeria’s poor rating from number three on the list of countries with unsafe waters to number one would be changed for the better with the deployment of the assets.
Amaechi said the contract for the project which was signed in his office with an Israeli company on 27 July 2017 covers Marine Assets, Land Assets ,Aerial assets and
a command control and coordination centre otherwise called C4i
The deep blue project , according to Amaechi covers Nigeria’s Exclusuve Economic Zone and beyond and would cause a reduction in
unnecessary security cost by ships on Nigeria waters who hitherto paid for the now scrapped Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) and additional cost like a war prone area.
The commissioned security assets includes 2 special mission vessels, 3 special mission helicopters,16 armoured vehicles, 2 special mission aircrafts and 17 interceptor boats.
Others include 4 unmanned aerial vehicles, a C4i which is the command , control and coordination centre for monitoring and special forces trained for the integrated maritime security task
Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh assured the global maritime communnity at the event that seafarers safety is now more guaranteed in the country’s waters with the deployment of the assets