The Federal Government has been urged to enact law allowing
private sector participation in maritime security to ensure safety of the
country’s waterways.

The rector of Certified Institute of Shipping of Nigeria,
Dr. (Rev.) Okwuashi Favour Alex made the call recently at a seminar organised
by the Maritime Reporter’s Congress of Nigeria (MARCON).

Delivering a paper titled, “Private Sector Participation in
Maritime Security”, Dr. Okwuashi said the issue is multidimensional and
requires inter-agency collaboration.

According to him, “due to global nature of maritime, the
role of private initiative cannot be over-emphasised.

“The Nigeria territorial waters is faced with dangers of
piracy, robbery, hijack/kidnap, assault, bomb attacks and oil theft”.

The rector, who saw there has been greater private security
in every facet of human endeavour, believed that it would work in the maritime
sector.

He further explained that the 1959 Ordinance gave the
Nigerian Navy statutory role of maritime security and Naval defence of Nigeria
within its territorial waters, adding that the Navy act of 1964 talks about
coastal defence and anti smuggling patrol.

Okwuashi, noted that Armed Forces Decree 105 of 1993
assigned Nigerian Navy with the responsibility of defence of Nigeria by sea,
enforcing all national and International maritime laws ascribed or acceded by
Nigeria and promoting coordinating and enforcing on territorial waters.

The Maritime stakeholder stated that Maritime Security
Operation (MSO) are actions of modern Naval forces to combat sea based terrorism
and other illegal anti-maritime activities such as hijack, piracy, human
trafficking, poaching, espionage, illegal bunkering and dumping of toxic waste.

Okwuashi in his submission, suggested a way out to secure
the nation’s waterway through inter-agency collaboration and NIMASA/PICOMSS
merger. He called on the federal government to enact laws that will accommodate
private guards the implementation of International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
convention, funding of Navy to provide coastal surveillance and patrol, and
education of port operators on security measures as well as creation of
adequate maritime domain awareness.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Dr. Boniface
Ariebnam, blamed high unemployment rate, deprivation, corruption, poverty greed
and small arms proliferation for maritime insecurity.

The founder of Nagaff who was ably represented by the
association’s legal adviser, Barrister Fred Akokwa, stated that Nimasa and the
Navy were set up to confront the challenges of the maritime sector but are
hampered by issues like inadequate funding, lack of hardwaxe and equipments.

Others according him, are lack of manpower, maintenance,
training and re-training, indiscipline, corrupt political class and topography
or difficult terrain especially in the Niger Delta.

According to him, maritime security is capital intensive,
“Because of limited resources at the disposal of the government and the
ever-increasing responsibilities of the government, the need for private
participation is very appropriate at this time”, he added.