By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Nigerian Navy, Members of the National Assembly, and the Coalition of Civil Society Groups were among Nigerians who opposed the bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Coast Guard.
The Senate Committee on Marine Transport had slated November 7 for the public hearing on the bill. Still, it was shifted due to the demise of the Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja.
The bill sponsored by Senator Wasiu Eshilokun (APC-Lagos), has the overriding intent to enact legislation that sought to make the Nigerian Coast Guard a full-fledged military service and a branch of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to be domiciled under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
At yesterday’s public hearing in the National Assembly Library, the Nigerian Navy objected to the establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard.
They cited duplication of functions, security threats, incoherent bill crafting, resource constraints, and economic imperatives of nature, among other issues.
The Nigerian Navy’s Chief of Training and Operations, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, represented the Chief of Naval Staff.
He took his time to analyse both Nigeria’s maritime security needs and global best practices, with substantial global examples of consolidated maritime security frameworks.
He said, “The United Kingdom does not have a Coast Guard with military powers similar to those proposed in this bill.
“Rather, the Royal Navy is responsible for military defence and maritime security operations, including facial protection, and this is quoted from the House of Commons briefing paper of 2020.
“On the other hand, the UK Coast Guard is under the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency, which manages search and rescue and Occupational Safety.
“The UK Coast Guard is also known as a volunteer. The Coast Guard is not funded by the government but by charity. The UK example is a symbol where a resourceful Naval Force, with complementary civilian agencies, works to manage maritime safety.
“Then let’s look at the United States of America. The Coast Guard and the Navy. The US Coast Guard operates under the Department of Homeland Security, focusing on law enforcement, environmental protection, and search and rescue. At the same time, under the Department of Defence, the US Navy is primarily an expeditionary force projecting power far beyond the shores.
“South Africa has opted to enhance its network capacity instead of establishing the Coast Guard, recognizing budget constraints and prioritising the unified labour force for all maritime security and defence. South African Navy performs military rules and law enforcement functions supported by government agencies and non-military tasks like environmental protection.
“This approach is similar to what is done in Nigeria and several developing countries. It minimises redundancy and ensures that the country’s limited resources are well managed.
“Given Nigeria’s more regional maritime focus and resource constraints, creating a similar structure will lead to redundant functions and stretch limited resources”.
For his part, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, said Nigeria is living on borrowed funds.
He said taking a loan and establishing a new agency was improper.
Oshiomhole also queried the rationale behind establishing a ministry service and domiciled it under a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy instead of Defence.
“So why do we need the Armed Forces to be controlled by the blue economy and become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence?” Oshiomhole asked.
A member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, Philip Agbese, said Nigeria needed to strengthen the existing marine agencies and institutions to function optimally instead of creating irrelevant agencies whose duties are already being performed by others.
Agbese, who is the Deputy Spokesman for the House of Representatives, also expressed disappointment that agencies under the Marine Ministry, which objected to the establishment of the Nigeria Marine Corps during a public hearing two weeks ago, could hypocritically support the establishment of the Nigeria Coast Guard, which shares similar objectives with the Marine Corps Bill.
Various Speakers, including Dr Emeka Akabogu, Honorary Secretary of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association; Rear Admiral Chris Ezekobe (retd); and Igwe Umanta, who spoke on behalf of a coalition of other 10 Civil Society Groups, all rejected the establishment of the Nigeria Coast Guard, urging the Senate to drop the bill.
