President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged unabated support to the Nigerian Navy’s regional collaborative efforts to secure the Gulf of Guinea, GoG,for enhanced economic development.
President Buhari, 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, Rivers State.
TheFact Nigeria recalls that the International Maritime Conference forms part of the week-long activities marking the NN”s 66th anniversary, which began on Tuesday, 24 May, 2022.
President Buhari, who was the Guest of Honor at the occassion, and was represented by the Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd), averred that the conference potends a veritable platform to adopt measures to mitigate what he called increasing vulnerabilities in African Waters especially in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Commander-in-Chief 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, CNS, Vice Admiral Awwal 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 discourse among participants on how best to deal with common maritime challenges.
He noted that the huge attendance at the Conference is a proof 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 requires the coming together of littoral States for enhanced capabilities to win the war against infractions in the regional maritime domains.
The opening ceremony was attended by Nigeria’s serving and retired Chiefs of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and their foreign counterparts, members of the diplomatic communities and corporate partners of the Navies of the world.
The ceremony dovetailed into goodwill messages, tour of exhibition stands and presentation of papers as well as discussion sessions.
