PRESIDENT TINUBU INAUGURATES 3 NEW SHIPS AND 2 HELICOPTERS IN LAGOS BOOST THE FIGHT AGAINST CRUDE OIL THEFT 30-05-24
By Sadiq Aminu President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated three new ships and two helicopters in Lagos for the Nigerian Navy to boost the fight against crude oil theft and other insecurity in the maritime domain.
President Tinubu described the Navy as deserving every support being a competent pillar of the nation’s maritime environment.
The President represented by Vice President Kassim Shettima, performed the ceremony at the opening of the fifth international maritime conference and regional maritime exercise 20 24 in Lagos.
President Tinubu asserted that the blue economy has added invaluable impact to the nation’s economy
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawale said the Navy has been a symbol of pride to the nation, giving diligent and unparalleled professionalism by carrying out it’s duty of safeguarding the economic interest of the nation.
On his part, Lagos state governor Mr Babajide Sanwo Olu reflected on the significant strides the Nigerian Navy had made in safeguarding the nation’s maritime domain by ensuring the safety and security of maritime territory.
Governor Sanwo Olu represented by his deputy Obafemi Hazmat noted that the event was a clear indication of collective commitment to strengthening maritime security trade and cooperation
Earlier, in an address of welcome, the Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, who gave the theme of the conference as promoting the Blue economy in Africa through international cooperation for life time security, said the conference would provide a viable platform to collectively develop strategies in addressing Africa’s inherent security challenges, arising from development of the blue economy.
Vice admiral Ogalla pointed out that past regional and Continental levels of cooperation and collaboration aimed at achieving sustainable maritime security architecture in Africa and the contributions, have contributed to propelling the efforts of the Nigerian Navy and others in the Gulf of Guinea towards checking transnational crimes in the region.
Representatives of Eighteen countries including some European countries and America attended the regional maritime conference.