In its renewed fight against maritime crimes in the country and the Gulf of Guinea, the Nigerian Navy (NN) is expecting two ships from China and the United States of America before the end of the year.
To this end, the Navy said it has enhanced its operational efficiency by way of sustaining its prioritization of training and human capital development.
In his welcome address at the occasion of the Navy ceremonial sunset and 2014 end of year ball held at the NNS Quorrah, Apapa Lagos, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jubrin disclosed that aside ensuring safety in the maritime domain, the NN was also working closely with sister services in the area of countering insurgency and all forms of insecurity across the country.
Jubrin stated that the NN had recorded some achievement in its policing duties and implementation of transformation plan, which he said has led to the drastic reduction of crude oil theft and other maritime crimes.
In furtherance of its mandate, the NN he said, had extended the frontiers of its cooperation with both local and foreign agencies and organisations, as it recently hosted the meeting of the Chiefs of Naval Staff from Togo, Benin Republic, and the head of Gendarmerie from Niger a part of efforts to enhance regional cooperation in the area of maritime security.
In spite of the progress, Jubrin noted that a lot still remained to be done in view of where the NN is coming from and where it aimed to be. For instance, he said basic infrastructure such as jetties and repair facilities were inadequate and would need augmenting and rehabilitation, as well as supply of material such as Petroleum oil and lubricants and spares for the regular maintenance of the new platforms the navy was acquiring.
He said, “Though these demands are heavy, the consequences of neglecting them are more dire especially for a nation like Nigeria whose livelihood and well being are very closely tied to the maritime environment”
The occasion was also used to honour a total of 58 officers, comprising 17 Rear Admirals, 25 Commodores, nine Captains, three commanders and four lieutenant commanders who retired from the Nigerian navy within year 2014.
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