Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Dwindling Oil Revenue: Okowa Challenges Navy on Maritime Security.
As Nigeria faces financial crisis as a result of dwindling revenue from oil resources, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has challenged the Nigerian Navy to ensure effective maritime security.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day retreat for the Nigerian Navy in Asaba yesterday, Okowa decried the high rate of piracy, crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism and other criminal activities in the nation’s maritime domain.
“It is an incontrovertible fact that maritime security and national prosperity are inextricably linked together; therefore, at this critical juncture in the nation’s history, I expect the Nigerian Navy to treat the issue of maritime security as a national emergency because today, the country is hanging precariously on a financial cliff owing to dwindling receipts to the Federation Account occasioned by the falling oil prices,” the governor said
He added: “Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has continued to prosper; rampant crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism are still flourishing and Nigeria loses between 40, 000 and 100, 000 barrels (of crude oil) a day due to theft while illegal fishing (poaching) and pollution that threatens the local food supply is also thriving in addition to the fact that drug and human trafficking are enjoying a boom in the West African coastlines.”
While commending the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies for battling crime and criminal activities in the maritime sector, the governor disclosed that Delta State, “as an oil producing state, is caught in the cross hairs of these unfortunate development in the maritime sector as the state has continued to lose huge revenues to oil thieves and pipeline vandals, with severe adverse consequences on our already depleted finances.”
He described the theme for the retreat, ‘Nigerian Navy and Emerging Maritime Security Challenges’ as apt, expressing confidence that the outcome of the retreat would shape the policy direction for security and governance in the Gulf of Guinea of which Nigeria is a major part.
Minister of Defence, Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali, whose address was read by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, stated that Nigeria was contending with different security challenges and the Nigerian Navy had the responsibility to synergise strategies to tackle the security challenges in the maritime domain.
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas, disclosed that the retreat started in 2007 to reappraise emerging challenges facing the navy and to proffer solutions to them while Rear Admiral Johnson Olutoyin had in his opening remark, thanked the governor for providing the enabling environment for the retreat to take place.
Related Posts:
Unsafe Countries To Live Terrorists attack has been the reason behind insecurity in most countries, especially in Africa; though it still has it root in some Arab region.According to ClickTop10.com, Africa houses the highest number of dangerous cou… Read More
'How Flavour & Emeka Morgan abandoned MC Loph's mum' -Bianka Johnson write Like all one-sided stories/write-ups, please read with an open mind. Bianka Johnson, who is kinda in the movie industry, today sent out something she wrote about how high life crooner Flavour and Morgan Ent. CEO Em… Read More
Seven-year-old leads police to smash Lagos kidnap syndicate According to a report by Punch, a 7year old boy led police to the smash of a Lagos kidnap syndicate that specializes in the kidnap of little children, weeks after he was kidnapped and released by them... Punch rep… Read More
Dangote Bags Highest National Honour In Republic Of Benin Africa’s richest man and president, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote was yesterday conferred with the highest national honour in the Republic of Benin, the Grand Commander of the National Order of the Republic of Benin.Presiden… Read More
Dangote Bags Highest National Honour In Republic Of Benin Africa’s richest man and president, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote was yesterday conferred with the highest national honour in the Republic of Benin, the Grand Commander of the National Order of the Republic of Benin.Presiden… Read More
0 comments:
Post a Comment