By Linus Aleke
It is no longer news that the nation’s oil resources are been looted and plundered in the creeks of Niger Delta by criminal elements, supported by some international cartel and rogue elements in the government circle, but what the government, lead institutions in maritime security and other critical stakeholders are doing to curtail this security breach, as well as the humongous, and alarming economic sabotage.
The UK Deputy High Commission in Lagos, earlier this week, deployed its warship, HMS Trent, to Nigeria to support regional maritime security, improve defence capability and develop joint operational planning and intelligence sharing with the Nigerian Navy.
In a statement, signed by Senior Press & Public Affairs Officer, Comms Lead, Prosperity and Economic Development, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, Ms. Ndidiamaka Eze, the British authority said, this is part of its regional mission to aid allies and partners in driving down illegal activities including piracy and illicit trafficking.
Ms. Eze noted that the visit will help deliver capacity training and support maritime security in the region.
HMS Trent’s mission, she said, is to support West African allies helping countries to develop capability to fight crimes at sea and ensure they can play an effective role in bringing stability to wider West Africa, stressing that with around £6 billion of UK trade passing through the region, part of Trent’s tasking is to support stability across the Gulf of Guinea through training to help partner navies take the fight to criminal actors, fostering ties and sharing knowledge, whilst conducting patrols to increase security.
UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, averred that this deployment demonstrates how a truly Global Britain is stepping up on the world stage to tackle shared international security challenges.
He said: “Nigeria is an important and valued defence partner for the UK in West Africa. Our two countries face many shared threats and we are keen to work with Nigeria to defeat these and to help improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea”.
The deployment, the statement concluded, contributes to a wider international effort by the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FOGG), which supports Gulf of Guinea nations to implement regional maritime security frameworks, bringing stability to a region that has seen international shipping disrupted, seafarers’ lives put in danger, and damage caused to local economies.
This concluding paragraph of the British High Commission statement, queried in no small measure, the veracity or otherwise of the clean bill handed to Nigeria, “as piracy free,” by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
It also raised doubt over removal of Nigeria from the list of countries designated as risk maritime nations by the International Bargaining Forum (IBF), but this is a discussion for another day, as the kernel of this discourse is what the Nigerian Navy has done, and is also doing to guarantee maritime security in Nigeria’s territorial waters, and by extension the Gulf of Guinea, notwithstanding the UK’s latest hints on the current threats warranting a deployment of maritime armament to secure UK’s £6 billion trade passing through the region, amongst other threats.
But the good news is that the Nigerian Navy – the lead institution in the fight against maritime security, under the purposeful leadership of the 24th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla is determined to liquidate the evil enterprise of oil thieves and other associated maritime crime such as piracy, sea robbery and Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
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Addressing the top echelon of the Service, during the the 2023 Nigerian Navy Retreat, at the Naval Headquarters, in Abuja, Vice Admiral Ogalla said, that under his watch there will be zero tolerance for Crude Oil Theft (COT) in the Nigerian Navy (NN).
He said, his strategic end-state is the attainment of a safe and secure maritime environment in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea to enable wealth creation, economic prosperity as well as national security, growth and development.
In tandem with this, Vice Admiral Ogalla posited that he has issued the Chief of the Naval Staff Strategic Directive 2023 to 2026, which highlights the expected deliverables along the nine Lines of Development (LoDs) of the Nigerian Navy Strategic Plan (NNSP) 2021 -2030.
Enumerating the Service milestone thus far, the CNS recalled that in the past few years, the NN has achieved significant milestones in operations, fleet recapitalization, infrastructure and human resource management
as part of a comprehensive transformation plan articulated to guide the Service in the discharge of its constitutional mandate.
He further noted that with the evolving nature of threats in our maritime domain, the NN will have to be innovative in its
approaches, stressing that to achieve this, he is determined to rebuild the conceptual, moral and physical components of the service fighting power.
On the area he intends to give his best, while his command lasts, Admiral Ogalla said: “My top priorities, therefore, would be to diligently implement the provisions of the NNSP 2021 -2030. Let me, however, mention that while no effort will be spared in achieving these goals, it is the command’s responsibility to ensure the sustenance and maintenance of all facilities, equipment and platforms. I ask for your full commitment towards achieving these strategic goals. To set a clear direction and build momentum, we identified some quick impact projects and conceptual initiatives that would be completed and commissioned within my first 100 days in office. I am aware, this has been communicated to you. Accordingly, I am looking forward to hearing the progress you have made on the performance targets”.
On oil theft, the CNS said: “One of the conceptual initiatives I am eager to listen to is the Strategic Plan to tackle Crude Oil Theft (COT), which is a serious crime that is costing the nation billions of dollars each year. It is also a
threat to our national security. Recently, there has been a lot of media frenzy on the issue of COT. Unfortunately, some of these are intentionally propagated to embarrass the NN and misinform unsuspecting members of the public. We cannot afford to be complacent or make the NN vulnerable to exploitation by mischief makers. I, therefore, want to make this clear that under my watch there is zero tolerance for COT in the NN”.
Warning naval personnel against involvement in oil theft, Vice Admiral Ogalla said, any officer or rating that is found to be involved in COT will be punished to the full extent of the law.
He also ordered the commanders to go back and educate their officers and men about the dangers of COT.
He said: “The government looks up to us to lead the fight to eradicate COT. Accordingly, we must work together with sister Services and other related agencies to stamp out the menace. Nigerians expect their Navy to remain above reproach, as a force they can admire and rely upon. Gentlemen, it behoves us to take fierce pride in this obligation. Discipline is essential for any successful organization, but it is especially important to the military. As Commanders, I am counting on you to uphold discipline in your commands. Be role models to your officers and men. Set a high standard of conduct and enforce the rules fairly and consistently. Always do the right thing especially when it is hard. Related to this is the need to enhance Civil-Military Cooperation and relations with civilians in your Areas of Operation. When the people we are there to serve see us as partners, they are more likely to support our efforts and cooperate with us. This can make a big difference in our ability to achieve our objectives and build a more stable and secure environment”.
On welfare and motivation to achieve the above noble goals, the number one officer of the Nigerian Navy averred: “I charge you to be mindful of the welfare of those under you. Prioritize the welfare of your subordinates not just as a compassionate matter, but as an essential to mission success. Importantly, create a conducive environment for your subordinates to air their views, contribute to decision making and where required,
seek redress. In doing these, keep a close watch on your mental, physical and emotional health, and the health of those you lead. When people are happy and healthy, they are more productive and resilient and are also more likely to stay in Service. On my part, I will continue to provide opportunities for job satisfaction
and self-actualization as well as recognise and reward hard work and dedication. Issues relating to personnel accommodation, uniform items and appointment/draft cycle are already receiving attention. Similarly, I have directed that vehicles be provided by Commands, Bases, units and establishments including boats for those in the riverine areas, as fuel subsidy palliative to ease personnel transportation”.
On what he tends to achieve with the retreat, he said: “My expectation during this Retreat is that we will have robust discussions that will lead to far-reaching decisions on repositioning the NN to better meet its constitutional mandate and responsibilities in a rapidly changing security landscape. I urge us not to be content with our status quo performance. We must identify precisely where we are as a Service, determine where we need to be, and then develop a plan to get there. Most importantly, we must identify specific barriers constraining performance improvement and mission accomplishment. Success demands that we are ruthlessly honest in our self-assessment. I am confident that at the end of this Retreat, we will have a roadmap that will address the threats facing the country”.
In his address of welcome, the Chief of Policy and Plan Navy, Rear Admiral, JD Akpan, noted that though the NN is facing many challenges, he is confident that the service can overcome them with good leadership.
He said the retreat is organized to enable the CNS to communicate his mission, vision, and command philosophy to Commanders.
He further explained that “It also provides a platform for Commanders to brief the CNS on their plan of action to implement the Strategic Directive as well highlight progress report on the CNS 100 Days Performance Targets. Similarly, the Retreat would allow us to reassess the threat environment and review our operations and activities to identify gaps that could be addressed for better performance. I am therefore hopeful our discussions will be incisive, innovative, and provocative. We need to have frank discussions about what is working and what is not. Only then can we make the necessary changes to ensure that the Navy is the best it can be. However, I want to appeal to us to be time-conscious as there is much to be done. I am convinced that we can achieve our goal in this Retreat if we make deliberate efforts and focus on the essentials”.
It, is, therefore, on the premise of the above lofty conceptualization and attractive ideation from the retreat that the writer advised that more effort should be geared towards breathing life into these wonderful ideas to improve maritime security.
