Maritime security: CNS seeks collaboration with relevant stakeholders 

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has called for determination and continental practice to tackle maritime threats. He made the telephone astatine the conscionable concluded 2024 International Maritime Conference arsenic good arsenic the Y2024 Nigerian Navy Week and 68th Anniversary solemnisation successful Lagos.

Ogalla said the telephone became indispensable due to the fact that of the transnational quality of maritime threats and its propensity to hamper potentials of nations’ bluish economy.

According to him, ameliorating these threats spell beyond the scope and capableness of immoderate idiosyncratic nation.

“Undoubtedly, it requires planetary collaborative efforts, which this league represents. It is against this backdrop that the taxable for the conference, ‘Promoting the Blue Economy successful Africa done International Cooperation connected Maritime Security’, was conceptualised. 

“It is believed that this league volition supply a viable level to collectively make strategies successful addressing Africa’s inherent information challenges arising from improvement of the Blue Economy,” helium said.  

The CNS acknowledged past efforts aimed astatine achieving sustainable maritime information architecture successful Africa, specified arsenic the Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050 and the 2013. These initiatives, helium said, attest of the level of committedness to information and developmental imperatives successful the continent’s maritime domain.

“I besides admit contributions of the planetary community, affable navies, and strategical partners successful the Gulf of Guinea region. Your enactment contributed to propelling the efforts of the Nigerian Navy and different navies successful the Gulf of Guinea towards checking transnational crimes successful the region,” helium said 
 
Vice Admiral Ogalla recalled that arsenic portion of determination initiatives to beforehand maritime security, the African Union, done its Communiqué 1012 of 2021, established the Combined Maritime Task Force for the region. 

He added: “I americium blessed to authorities that the Combined Maritime Task Force was operationalised successful 2023 with office successful Lagos. A Nigerian Navy serviceman has been designated arsenic Commander of the Task Force portion the 3 Task Groups of the Task Force, which screen the Northern, Central and Southern sectors of the Gulf of Guinea are hosted by Senegal, Nigeria and Republic of Congo, respectively.

“Though the Task Force is evolving, this league volition facilitate sermon connected concepts and collaborative plans successful actualising aspirations of the Combined Maritime Task Force to enactment the region’s bluish economy.

“On its part, the Nigerian Navy has rejigged its maritime information operations to guarantee extortion of Nigeria’s Blue Economy successful accordance with her statutory mandate.”