The Nigerian Navy has opposed the bill before the National Assembly for an act to establish a National Coast Guard, stating that the Coast Guard, if established, would be a duplication of functions, especially also because the bill does not seem to have taken the existing security architecture into consideration in its formulation.
Represented by Rear Admiral Olusegun E. Ferreira, Chief of Training and Operations, at the Senate public hearing on the establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard yesterday (Thursday, December 5), the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla pointed out that another major defect of the bill is that it did not have any military input before its presentation to the public.
“There is no need for the establishment of a Coast Guard; this is because there is no clear distinction between the Nigerian Navy and the upcoming Coast Guard. This will bring division in the Armed forces,” he declared.
Senator Adams Oshiohmole, who spoke at the event aligned position on the matter with that of the CNS, said the country would appear to be fond of duplicating agencies that perform similar duties.
The former Governor of Edo State argued that the establishment of a Coast Guard, if not well-checked, could be a waste of meager resources.
“To me, there is no economic value in establishing another military outfit. The country should focus on maintaining and equipping the Navy for optimal performance and not putting up another outfit with separate financing,” he said.
The bill is at the instance of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, former Governor of Osun State, through the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine and Blue Economy, Senator Wasiu Eshinlokun, who sponsored it.
Speaking at the Senate hearing on the bill, Oyetola said the establishment of the National Coast Guard is aimed at establishing clear protocols, enforcing safety regulations and overseeing navigation routes on Nigeria’s inland waterways.
The Minister emphasized that it would play a critical role in safeguarding lives, property and trade within Nigeria’s coastal and inland waterways, adding that the Coast Guard, if established, would respond rapidly to marine disasters with timely and efficient search and rescue operations.
On environmental protection, he believes the Coast Guard will actively work, in collaboration with other relevant government agencies, to prevent pollution and enforce environmental regulations within Nigerian waters.
“Through initiatives focused on conservation and the protection of marine ecosystems, the Coast Guard will support Nigeria’s commitment to environmental stewardship, safeguarding marine biodiversity for future generations,” Oyetola said.
“It will ensure the enforcement of Civil Maritime Laws, tasked with upholding laws that govern civil maritime activities, the Coast Guard will enforce fishing laws and regulations, conventions on pollution, and other civil maritime offenses.
“This function will support sustainable resource management, protect Nigeria arises from illegal offenses, and align with international best practices for civil maritime Nigerian Collaboration with Military/Paramilitary Agencies”
While commending the efforts of the Nigerian Navy in safeguarding the Nigerian maritime space and giving Nigeria a good image worldwide, Oyetola said NN’s collaborative effort with the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s agency- the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in the Deep Blue Project has shown great results in the zero piracy on Nigeria’s territorial waters in the last three years.
However, he said, the Navy would achieve even better results if its efforts were to be complemented by the presence of a Coast Guard as is done in other climes.
The former Governor said: “According to a 2009 publication by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, 15 out of the 21 independent maritime nations in sub-Saharan Africa have dedicated coast guards that identify themselves as such, and none has our population, and many of these countries do not have the length of our inland waterways or, coastline.
“Also, a 2015 communication by the Institute for Security Studies of the National Defence College of Nigeria highlighted the impact of activities such as illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing in the inland waters, coastal and marine fishing zones in sub-Saharan Africa, which, is estimated to cost the region approximately between US$ 3 billion to US one billion a year in lost revenue”.
Meanwhile, the Minister has assured that the development of the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway is a major game changer for the entire coastline of the country, which should enjoy better security from the Coast Guard.
“The project is expected to unlock the region’s blue economy potential. Hotels, beach resorts, water parks, eco-parks, ferry services, hospitality regions, industrial potentials, and more are soon to spring up along the coastline,” he said.
“This increase in economic activities will require a dedication that will be responsible for ensuring maritime safety, search and rescue, environmental protection, and the enforcement of civil maritime laws.
“The spate of boat mishaps on our inland waterways is also a strong justification for the need to strengthen our maritime industry and enforcement of maritime laws and regulations in the inland waterways. This is necessary to boost maritime trade and trans-shipment in Nigeria.
“Also, considering Nigeria’s critical position in the maritime domain on the continent and globally, the establishment of a National Coast Guard would further increase our standing in the comity of maritime nations. This will no doubt attract foreign support and assistance.
While declaring the public hearing open, the President of the Senate, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, thumbs up the bill, which has passed its second reading, with an emphasis that it is a necessity, not a need.”
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was represented at the Public hearing by Senator Akintunde Yunus, said the power to establish a similar military outfit is exclusively the right of the law-making organ of the government of Nigeria.
Senator Akpabio said that the Senator Wasiu Eshinlokun’s sponsored bill is timely as it has come to rid the Nigerian waterways of criminal activities with increased revenue.
“We are not here to discuss the sponsored bill but to discuss the safety of our maritime industry and the Marine economy in general,” the Senate President said.
In his welcome address, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Wasiu Eshinlokun, stated that the World over has reasons for the establishment of Coast Guards to complement the Navy, adding that the country has a vast land mass that needs to be covered against marine theft and external aggression.
