President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, in Lagos, commissioned 118 ships and boats, including a helicopter, to enhance the capability of the Nigerian Navy in securing the nation’s maritime domain as well as the Gulf of Guinea.
These assets included seven Seaward ships and 111 boats.
One of them, NNS Oji, a Seaward Defense Boat, SDB III, was locally built by the Nigerian Navy engineers at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony/induction of the Nigerian Navy Ships and keel laying for the construction of Boat-IV and Boat-V, at the Naval Dockyard, Buhari, congratulated the Navy under the watch of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, for maintaining a steady course in its drive for local content development.
He said, “I am delighted to note that one of the ships to be commissioned today, NNS OJI; which is a Seaward Defence Boat, is the third of its series to be locally built at the Naval Dockyard Limited, Lagos, solely by our Navy engineers.
“Given our present high dependence on oil and gas revenues, the Navy is undeniably a major contributor to the economic well-being of our country.”
Buhari stated that arrests of those involved in illegalities on the country’s waterways had yielded results, noting that “Some pirates, illegal bunkering syndicates, pipeline vandals and other miscreants have been convicted this year.
“Such successes were made possible through the enforcement of our new anti-piracy law on Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019.
“Furthermore, the provision of the new policy directives by the current administration of the Navy codified in such documents as the Nigerian Navy Strategic Plan 2021-2030; the Chief of the Naval Staff Strategic Directive 2021-5 and the Total Spectrum Maritime Strategy have given the Service credible guidelines and leverage for improved operational efficiency”.
While charging the Navy to maintain professionalism and ensure good use of the newly built and recently acquired platforms, the president, said, “We should note that we are in a critical period where our country is faced with a serious decline in our revenue and the security challenges we are facing.
‘‘The present realities, therefore, call for prudent resource management, innovativeness, accountability and careful maintenance”.
In his welcome address, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, explained that one of the commissioned ships, NNS LANA, a Hydrographic Ship, which was received from her maiden voyage from France to Nigeria on May 17, 2021, would be involved in the hydrographic survey of the nation’s territorial waters, towards ensuring the safety of navigation within her waterways.
For the SDB III, Inshore Patrol Crafts (IPC) and Fast Patrol Boats (FPB): NNS ABA, NNS KANO, NNS IKENNE, NNS SOKOTO and NNS OSUN, he said, they would be deployed for surveillance and patrol duties within the nation’s waters.
These efforts according to him, “Are geared towards enhancing the performance of our constitutional role regarding the hydrographic survey and policing of our waters. Invariably, the induction of these platforms into the NN fleet will lead to further decline in criminal activities in our Maritime Domain”.
While assuring that the assets would be adequately maintained to sustain the Navy’s maritime security operations, the CNS, added that they would be deployed in line with the service’s Trinity-of-Actions Concept of Maritime Security, to deny criminal elements freedom of action.
“The Nigerian Navy remains committed to a robust collaborative engagement with other maritime stakeholders in enhancing the performance of the nation’s ports and that shipping activities along our Sea Lanes of communications, including maritime activities along the Inland waterways are not hindered in any way.
“Let me emphasize that the commissioning of the SDB III, NNS OJI and others today is a manifestation of the Federal Government’s commitment to maintaining a well-equipped navy that Nigerians would be proud of.
I, therefore, use this occasion to once again, solicit for the sustenance of the cooperation among maritime and security stakeholders operating in our maritime domain”, he said.