The Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has disclosed plans to set up coast guards to improve safety and security on Nigeria’s waters.
Oyetola made the disclosure on Tuesday in London while meeting with the officials of some countries on the sidelines of the ongoing 33rd session of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) General Assembly.
“As we continue to expand and develop the activities of the sector, there will be need to deepen security architecture within the maritime space, so we are considering setting up Coast Guards and we believe that they will complement the existing security architecture to further secure our maritime space,” Oyetola told Brazil’s Chief of Navy’s General Staff, Adm José Augusto V. da Cunha de Menezes.
He said Nigeria intends to understudy the Brazilian Coast Guards, as the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was desirous of setting up one so as to further secure the maritime space and the country’s waterways.
“We want to also focus on sectors such as marine renewable energy, marine mining, subsea cabling and piping, marine genetics, and biotechnology, so as to grow the marine and blue economy,” he said.
Oyetola also held discussions with ministers and representatives from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Jamaica, expressing Nigeria’s government interest in learning from their knowledge and experiences.
He emphasised the use of advanced marine technologies, including innovations in maritime logistics solutions to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of maritime transport and port operations, making Nigerian ports more competitive globally.
Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, during the meeting, agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding to formalise their cooperation.