President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented a surge in insecurity within African waterways, specifically within the Gulf of Guinea.
Buhari noted that the development required collaborative efforts among stakeholders to tackle.
He spoke at the International Maritime Conference in Onne, Rivers State, as part of the 66th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.
Represented by the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd), Buhari lauded the efforts of the Nigerian Navy, noting that the efforts have brought about decline in sea piracy and ultimately delisting of Nigeria from the International Maritime Bureau of piracy list since March 2022.
He said: “The Nigerian Navy is the pertinent agency in the marine sector that has the responsibility in the constitution to check threats in the maritime area. These threats have become transnational and beyond the scope and capability of one nation to deal with.
“The situation, therefore, calls for international collaboration and this conference, therefore, symbolises strategic collaborative initiative between the Nigerian Navy and other international maritime stakeholders, to mitigate the increasing vulnerabilities in African water especially in the Gulf of Guinea.”
However, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, emphasized that the collaboration was important as maritime crimes within the Gulf of Guinea have become transnational and are beyond the scope and combat capability of one nation.