The Nigerian Ports Authority, Eastern Ports Operation, has advocated for closer collaboration with the security operatives on surveillance over maritime activities at the ports.

The General Manager, Eastern Ports, Nigerian Ports Authority, Sotonye Etomi solicited for the collaboration on Tuesday when the NPA Management paid a courtesy visit respectively to the General Officer Commanding, 2nd Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General, Ladan Yusuf at Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, the Commanding Officer, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Umar Lolo Ahmed at the Naval base, Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and the state Director of the State Security Service, D. J. Dogo, in Port Harcourt.

He said with greater and closer relationship with the security agents most of the operational challenges posed by security issues would be over-come, noting that NPA has always fallen back on the security agents considering the nature of the operations at the ports and terminals, especially the security threat occasioned by militant activities in the region lately.

The General Manager commended the efforts and security assistance provided by the forces during the President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Port Harcourt and the commissioning of projects at Onne Port, saying that due to the strategic and economic importance of the ports as the gateway to the nation’s economy, the services of the security agents would always be solicited for to ensure that the economy of the country is not jeopardised.

In their respective responses, the commanding officers Nigerian Army and Navy pledged their preparedness to collaborate with the Nigerian Ports Authority in ensuring that the water frontiers are adequately secured.

Assurance was also given that the existing cordial relationship between NPA and the formations would be sustained.