By EZEKIEL OBI, Abuja –
President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to support the Nigerian Navy’s regional collaborative efforts to secure the Gulf of Guinea for enhanced economic development.
President Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Defence Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) gave the pledge in a message during the opening ceremony of the International Maritime Conference at the Onne Port Multi- Purpose Center, Federal Ocean Terminal, River State.
He said the Conference which is to commemorate the sixty – sixth Anniversary of the Nigerian Navy portends a veritable platform to espouse measures to mitigate what he called increasing vulnerabilities in African Waters especially in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Commander-in-Chief who was the Special Guest of Honour acknowledged the role of the Nigerian Navy as a cardinal agency in the nation’s maritime sector that has developed into a big force to be reckoned with among navies of the world.
The Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Auwal Zubair Gambo in his opening remarks said the theme of the conference “Optimizing Collaboration for Maritime Security and Socio – Economic Development in Africa” is expected to elicit analytical discuss among participants on how best to deal with common maritime challenges.
Vice Admiral Gambo said the huge attendance at the Conference is a prove of the collaborative commitments of Navies of the World towards defining mechanism to tackle current threats in the Gulf of Guinea which he described as transnational in nature.
He said the complexity of the threats require the coming together of various states for enhanced capabilities to win the war against infractions in the regional Maritime domains.
The opening ceremony which was attended by the Nigeria’s serving and retired Chiefs of Defence Staff, the Service Chiefs as well as their foreign counterparts and members of the diplomatic communities and corporate partners of the navies of the world dovetailed into goodwill messages, tour of exhibition stands and presentation of papers as well as discussion sessions.
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