The Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have initiated move to strengthen the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they signed few years ago in order to renew their onslaught against pirates and oil thieves, in compliance with the recent Presidential directive.
To this effect, top officials from the two organisations met, over the weekend, in Lagos to fashion out a new approach that would put an end to the insurgence of pirates and oil thieves within the country’s territorial waters.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Joseph Ezeoba, told newsmen at NIMASA headquarters in Lagos over the weekend that there was the need to redefine the MoU between the two organisations in order to put in place a stronger platform needed to stamp out maritime piracy and oil theft from the Nigerian waters.
He said his visit to NIMASA was informed by the determination to comply fully with the fresh presidential directivethat maritime piracy, sea robbery and all forms of illegalities within the Nigeria’s maritime domain be put to an end within the shortest possible time.
The directive, he said, was handed down to the Naval high command, when he was being appointed to lead the Nigerian Navy by the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan recently.
Besides, strengthening the existing MoU between the two organisations, the Naval Chief said his visit to NIMASA was to open initial discussions with the agency on how to synergise in order to actualise the mandate.
Source: Nigeria Guardian News
