The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Dele Ezeoba, on Monday, said the Navy would operationalise its services and facilities to enable it to properly monitor the nation’s waterways.
Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after inspecting military formations under the Eastern Naval command in Calabar, Cross River State, Ezeoba said the visit was to identify critical areas that would address the challenges in the waterways.
Ezeoba alongside the Flag Officer Commanding, ENC, Rear Admiral Olufemi Ogunjimi, and other top officers visited the Navy Referral Hospital, Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, Atimbo and Akim Barracks, Navy Primary School and the Navy Clinic in Calabar.
Ezeoba said, “Our area of focus will be to operationalise the entire Nigerian Navy within the context of our capabilities given the challenges that we have and that is what we intend to do.
“First the readiness of ships, helicopters and other boats that we have in the Navy will form the main plank of operational concept that would help us to contain these illegalities in our waters.
“I am identifying those critical areas of needs that will address the fundamental problem of insecurity in our waters. From what we have seen so far, I am satisfied with the level of maintenance of infrastructure and we have been able to identify some gaps in our operational capabilities.
“We have been able to establish some parameters which we can manage. The gaps will be very germane to our ability to actualise this mandate with regard to crude oil theft, bunkering and piracy.”
On criminal activities at the buffer zone between Nigeria and Cameroon, Ezeoba lamented that the joint security patrol pact in the Green Tree Agreement was not being implemented.