The Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies(IPSS ) University of Ibadan on Friday August 30th held the 3rd edition of the Institute's Distinguished Personality Lecture.
The lecture which was titled " Role of the Nigerian Navy in combating maritime crimes and advancing the Nigeria's blue economy " was delivered by the Chief of the Naval Staff , Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla at the Senator Abiola Ajimobi Foundation hall Institute For Peace and Strategic Studies ( IPSS ) .
In her welcome address, the Director of the Institute For Peace and Strategic Studies IPSS University of Ibadan Professor Ruth Adio- Moses said the lecture is apt considering president Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration 's effort in harnessing the potentials of all sectors of the economy to bring prosperity to Nigerians.
Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla in his lecture said " The Maritime domain is critical due to its pivotal role in sustaining global supply chains and driving economic productivity . The annual value of goods and services transported through the seas is estimated at approximately 2.5 trillion United States dollars representing about 5 percent of global Gross Domestic Product.By 2030, socio- economic activities in the maritime sector could account for about 3 trillion United State dollars annually, with the potential to create over 40 million jobs . Clearly , the interconnectedness of socio- economic activities within the Maritime domain forms the basic principles of the Blue Economy.".
Speaking about the Maritime crimes in Nigeria, Vice Admiral Ogalla said Maritime crimes are transnational in nature and often involve local accomplices and collaborators. " Maritime crimes in Nigeria are rooted in complex socio political economic contentions, particularly between oil producing communities and oil companies. Additionally, factors such as unemployment, poverty and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons create a vicious cycle of maritime crimes . These issues manifest in a range of illegal activities, including communal conflicts, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing , illegal oil bunkering , smuggling and militancy , crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and operation of illegal artisanal refineries further exacerbate these challenges, threatening Nigeria's inability to fully harness the potentials of the blue economy ".
Speaking on the responses of the Nigeria Navy in combating maritime crimes , Vice Admiral Ogalla said the Nigeria Navy conceptualized a multi - layered total spectrum maritime strategy to protect naval power across a wide range of threats. ". The objectives of the strategy are to secure , deter and strike against internal spoilers , non state actors and external aggressors by establishing a credible , balanced fleet capable of both offensive and defensive postures". He added as a way forward to checking maritime crimes, there is the need to establish special courts for maritime crimes, advocacy campaign for community support and socio-economic crime prevention strategies.
Earlier , the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administrator Prof. Peter Olapegba who represented the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan , Professor Kayode Adebowale said the University is committed to generating ideas and provide environment for the gown and the town to collaborate to proffer solutions to the challenges of every sector of the country.
The chairman of the occasion, His Excellency the senator , Otunba Gbenga Daniel the chairman , senate committee Nigerian Navy represented by General Olumuyi Ogunlowo had urged Nigerians to support government’s efforts in checking crime and criminalities in their domain and report such to the necessary agencies as he also urged the citizens and security operatives to do away with sharp practices like corruption and selfishness among other vices that undermine national interests.
Speaking further on the potentials of the blue economy, Vice Admiral Ogalla said ‘’ Nigeria with its abundant opportunities and resources in the Blue Economy , is no exception. Research indicates that the Blue Economy in Nigeria could generate approximately N7 trillion annually and create over 4million jobs by 2030 if properly harnessed.Nigeria’s maritime domain is rich in resources such as manganese nodules, copper and fisheries . Most importantly, crude oil accounts for about 8 percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 77 percent of total exports and significant percentage of national revenue . According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), the country’s current oil and gas assets are valued at over N120 billion dollars in the near future . Nigeria’s maritime domain holds an estimated 36billion barrels of oil and 182 trillion cubic feet gas reserves . It has capacity to produce around 2.4milion barrels of oil and 8 billion cubic feet of gas per day. The area also hosts several oil –producing and storage platforms , including approximately 5,779 oil wells , 9,717km pipeline, 112 flow stations, 16 gas plants and 126 production platforms’’.
Speaking on successes recorded by the Naval in checking criminals on the waterways and the solutions to the challenges, Vice Admiral Ogalla said the Nigeria navy has adopted strategies which includes surveillance capability, response capability, and law enforcement which requires coordinated efforts of multiple agencies, each with distinct but interconnected roles and responsibilities . He said ‘’ The Nigerian Navy maritime stakeholders, played a crucial role in the passage of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act in 2019’’. He added that Nigerian Navy’s operational responses involved anti-piracy and sea robbery operations, anti-oil theft operations, anti-smuggling operations, anti- illegal, unreported, unregulated, and fishing operations, regional cooperation , enhanced hydrographic operations . He said ‘’ Following series of operations to maintain credible presence at sea, incidents of piracy and searobbery in Nigerian waters reduced considerably. This was reflected in the International Maritime Bureau Global Piracy Report of 14 July 2021, which indicated ‘’ the lowest total of piracy and sea robbery attacks against ships in 27 years’’. This resulted in the delisting of Nigeria from the IMB Piracy List in March 2022 according to the IMB Piracy Report of 3 March 2022. I am glad to inform this audience that there was no piracy incident in Nigerian waters in 2023 and between January and August 2024, there has equally been no incident recorded . There are still incidents of passenger boats being attacked by hoodlums within the Niger Delta area and the Navy is not relenting to curb these criminalities ‘’
The Naval boss added that non diligent prosecution of maritime crimes continues to be a challenge in the bid to rid the maritime clime of criminal elements adding that lack of limited community support makes criminals more emboldened as they know that they may not be reported or caught, adding that due to the cheapness of setting up local refineries, the locals are relentless even after constant destruction of such refineries, they are quick to set them up again. He said ‘’ records indicate that the Navy has arrested over 4,606 suspects for various maritime crimes between 2015 and 2024. Most of these arrests were carried out in the communities within the riverine areas. Some community leaders justify the criminal behavior. This complicates maritime law enforcement efforts and poses a significant challenge to maritime security, it also underscores the urgent need for comprehensive , society –wide solutions to address root causes of maritime criminality , which threatens the successful exploitation of the Blue economy potentials in Nigeria’’
As a way forward, Vice Admiral Ogalla proposed the designation of special courts for maritime, advocacy campaign for community support and socioeconomic crime prevention strategies to be adopted . He concluded ‘’ The Nigerian Navy has demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring a secure environment necessary for the development of the Blue Economy. However, continued success of these efforts will require increased support and collaboration from all stakeholders ‘’.
At the end of the lecture, there was an investiture for the Naval boss as the Society for Peace Studies and Practices SPSP and IPSS inducted the Naval boss into the societies and awarded him a fellow of the SPSP and the first IPPS fellow. Also, retired Naval officers in Oyo state presented award to the Naval boss.
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