Victor EzejaThe Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has called for effective international partnership to tackle security threats in the Gulf of Guinea.
NIMASA Director General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, stressed the need to sustain security in the Gulf of Guinea and save Nigeria heavy economic losses as a result of activities of pirates, kidnappers, terrorists and other criminal groups who operate on the waterways.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAccording to a statement by Osagie Edward, Head, Public Relations NIMASA, the agency’s DG made the remark after a meeting with Dr. Alex Vines, Director of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, London.
He said during the meeting, NIMASA and Chatham House agreed to raise the issue of Gulf of Guinea security at the next United Nations Security Council meeting for further measures on combating piracy and sea robbery in the region.
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Osagie added that NIMASA and Chatham House have also commenced collaboration to convene a meeting of international stakeholders from both the public and private sector in Nigeria, with the aim of developing a position paper on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Commenting on the Chatham House meeting in a post via, the NIMASA DG said: “The decision to engage the UN Security Council is to ensure they are well informed about the progress made so far in terms of security in the Gulf of Guinea.”
“We also need an independent analysis of the security situation in the Gulf of Guinea and how best to transform the gains in terms of enhanced security, into tangible economic benefits such as reduction in the cost of all Nigerian Bound freight and issues bothering on payment of war risk insurance premium for Nigerian bound vessels. The coming on board of Chatham House will serve as a catalyst in developing our Blue Economy.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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