5th plenary session on Gulf of Guinea Maritime Forum, another giant stride by NIMASA

5th plenary session on Gulf of Guinea Maritime Forum, another giant stride by NIMASA

* As Chief of Naval Staff lauds Dr Jamoh, international partners

Apparently, the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh has recorded yet another giant stride in the fight against piracy with the successful hosting of 5th plenary session on Gulf of Guinea Maritime Forum in Abuja, Nigeria.

The forum on-going in Transcorp Hilton, has provided a veritable platform for participants from various countries to brainstorm on strategic steps to be taken in steming the tide in maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

Speaking at the forum, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral AWWAI GAMBO, acknowledged the efforts of NIMASA in tackling maritime insecurity under the leadership of Dr Bashir Jamoh, as the Director General.

He pointed out:
“I would like to start by thanking the organisers of this Plenary for the invitation to deliver a keynote speech at this important gathering.
Likewise, I would like to acknowledge the presence of international partners from Europe and other continents of the world. I am not only convinced that the Forum would have very astute discourse, but I am optimistic that actionable decisions would be reached to establish effective ocean governance and dominance to deter piracy in GoG Region

“Recall that the first and 4th Plenary Sessions were hosted virtually in which useful information were presented and far-reaching decisions made.
I am aware of the enormous efforts made by the 3rd Working Groups (Information Sharing and Incident Reporting, Group, Cooperation At Sea Group and Air Deconfliction Group) in ensuring that overall objective of the Forum is achieved.

“These efforts are well applauded and should be sustained. Also, I am aware of the challenges facing our collective resolve to effectively integrate all initiatives to eliminating piracy and armed robbery within our maritime space, into a focused and coordinated effort through the Yaounde Code of Conduct framework. These challenges should not deter our collaborative efforts towards reinforcing our existing initiatives to advance and coordinate maritime security activities”.

He added :
“The GoG SHADE offers a veritable platform for GoG nations and other partner nations to congregate and cooperate to address piracy challenge facing the Region.

“The GOG has a coastline of about 2,874NM endowed with hydrocarbon mineral deposits. Sadly, this comparative advantage has been threatened by the activities of criminal elements perpetrating piracy and armed robbery at sea, which have continued to undermine the economic lifeline of nations within the region, hence, the need for a sustained collective collaborative effort by relevant stakeholders.”

He added:
“I want to appreciate all coastal nations within the region, international partners and relevant stakeholders that made positive strides in the area of inter-agency cooperation and response to piracy Incidents in the GOG.

“On the part of the Nigerian Navy, the successes recorded were largely due to its on-going efforts towards building institutional capacity in reinforcing capabilities for maritime governance. This has been deeply supported by the Government of Nigeria, through the Office of the National Security Adviser, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Transportation and Defence Headquarters amongst others.

“On Maritime Domain Awareness capability, the Navy is utilising its Falcon Eye Maritime Intelligence Facility, Regional Maritime Awareness Capability, as well as recent acquisition of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) to enhance and extend surveillance architecture.

“Also, the Deep Blue Project is an integrated National Surveillance and Waterways protection infrastructure, though still evolving. The Nigerian Navy forms an integral part and currently manning some assets to support the project towards ensuring the nation’s waterways are safe.”

The Chief of Naval Staff spoke through his representative, S. S. Garba.