Towards Effective Maritime Security In Nigeria

Lack of effective
maritime security and safety has continued to threaten the socio-economic development of Nigeria, particularly the riverine areas. Sadly, Nigeria is yet to establish or adopt best approach to maritime security.
This is why almost on daily basis, the country’s travellers on waterways and creeks or sea, including ships and oil laden vessels are faced with the problem of incessant piracy attacks, which have become worrisome to stakeholders in the maritime sector.
The Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN) advised its members recently at a two-day seminar and training in Lagos on “Maritime Piracy: A Humanitarian Response Programme for West and Central Africa,” to evolve effective security plans to protect their ships against piracy.
The Executive Secretary of the association, Captain Niyi Labinjo, said that such security arrangements should be in line with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code.
Labinjo who described piracy as armed robbery said that those arrested on the Nigerian waters should be treated and prosecuted like armed robbers on land, adding that piracy was thriving because of the ready-made market for stolen petroleum products.
According to him, the targets of the attacks are oil tankers and fishing trawlers.
“It is time government started to regulate bunker supplies and once this is in place, the issue of stolen petroleum products will disappear,” Labinjo said, adding “we also need to regulate the activities of chandlers (food and drinks suppliers ship) to effectively curb the activities of pirates. There is also the need to encourage ship crew to report suspicious shipping activities.”
Also speaking, the chairman of ISAN, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, lamented that “the people go to sea to rob because they could not get better jobs.”
In his contribution, President of Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Captain Thomas Isemewerigha, called for insurance policies for crew members and advocated the repositioning of the Nigerian Navy for the challenges of sea robbery.
In Rivers State, travelers on waterways and creeks have for long been crying over incessant piracy attacks on them. The case is also the same in Bayelsa State, yet it appears no serious action has been taken to check the menace which takes place almost on daily basis. Residents, traders and passengers plying waterways have in several occasions lost their lives and belongings, including cash.
Due to incessant piracy attacks, residents of Kalabari-speaking communities of Rivers State have called on the security agencies, especially the Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) and the Marine Police Patrol team to brace themselves for security challenges in the areas so as to avoid total collapse of social and economic activities in the areas.
One of the residents, Mr Alabo Kelly Bob-Manuel said boat drivers and their passengers now ply the routes in fear, saying attacks on waterways are now occurring almost on daily basis with lives and property lost.
In supporting the Nigerian Navy, the Rivers State government has made tremendous efforts by refurbishing some gun boats, while the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Ahoada-East Local Government Area, Britain Ewo also recently purchased some gun boats for the Navy to enable them patrol the waterways in the area.
The problem of sea piracy was a major focus of the committee of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS) meeting held in Abidjan in March, 2012. At the meeting, a monitoring group was established to ensure implementation of maritime security strategies aimed at curbing piracy in the sub-region.
Speaking at the meeting, Nigeria’s former Chief of Defence (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, said that piracy and sea robbery, which had continued to thrive in the maritime domain of some member-states within the Gulf of Guinea, had remained a matter of serious concern. He noted the implication of the menace on the socio-economic and political development of the sub-region.
According to Petinrin, the committee expanded the sub-committee on Maritime Security to 11 member-states with three legal experts on maritime security.
“We have also conducted joint sea exercises and patrolling of the Gulf of Guinea by member-states.
“To tackle the problem of cross-border criminality, we set up multinational joint taskforces and this has, to a large extent, assisted in intelligence gathering and information sharing”, he said, adding that the committee had ensured better co-ordination and put in place a communication network to facilitate exchange of information and intelligence.
Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim who was Chief of Naval Staff noted that the fact that maritime security featured prominently in the meeting of ECOWAS CDS underscored the need to end piracy in the sub-region. He said the meeting was another opportunity to sell the idea of cooperation in the maritime domain to member-states.
He stressed the need for the cooperation and support of other security agencies.
On August 1, 2011, a maritime stakeholders conference was held in Lagos. The conference hosted by the United States High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) was aimed at sharing maritime security best practices from  civilian and military perspectives, to better understand the tools Nigeria already possesses to ensure maritime security. It was also to further establish a comprehensive approach among key stakeholders on how to achieve security goals, which the country has not been able to attain.
The conference provided a forum for dialogue between U.S and Nigerian maritime professionals so that both partners can learn from each other’s experiences.
Nigeria was represented at the conference by top Navy personnel, Indigenous Ship Owners Association, Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, Nigerian Initiative for Oceanography and Marine Research, and Nigerian Trawlers Association, with Nigerian Navy Commodore Adejimi Osinowo facilitating the conference along with U.S. Navy Capt., David Rollo who was the West Africa Maritime Affairs Officer.

Shedie Okpara