A Brazilian Navy Ship, Fragata Independencia, has arrived Nigeria for maritime interdiction mission code named ‘ GUNEX’ in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Ambassador of Brazil in Nigeria, Ricardo Guerra de Araújo represented by the Consulate General of Brazil in Lagos, Francisco Carlos Soares Luz, said on Thursday that the presence of the 42-year-old vessel, Independencia, in Nigeria is to partner Nigerian Navy in a joint operation between Guinea, Cameroon, Cape Verde, to fight piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.
He said, “Fighting pirate in the Gulf of Guinea is very important because at the end, the activities of piracy will raise the cost of products for everyone, especially the landlocked countries. They will have to pay more for those things. Brazil and Nigeria share the Atlantic Ocean as a border. So having our border safe is important for everyone and I think no cost is too expensive to keep the Atlantic Ocean safe.”
Carlos added that it is the first operation with the countries and he hoped it would not be the last because of the large economies of Nigeria and Brazil.
“This kind of operations is what we should do often. It will bring our countries together and our relationship has shown the reality in Nigeria and Brazil navies that we have so much in common and we must ensure we make the relationship the same,” he said.
On the collaboration, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral, Jason Gbasa, represented by the Chief Staff Officer, Habila Zakaria, said the visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Nigeria and Brazil as well as enhance maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
The event was rounded off with a novelty match between the Brazilian Navy and the Nigerian Navy at the National Stadium, Surulere, while a plaque was presented to Ambassador Ricardo and the taskforce commanding Martins Andre.