Nigeria is
looking to collaborate with other countries to strengthen maritime security in
the Gulf of Guinea and check activities of oil thieves in the coast, President
Buhari says.
The Nigerian
leader made the statement at a meeting on Thursday with the Executive Secretary
of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, Ambassador (Mrs) Florentina Ukonga, at the
Presidential
Villa in Abuja.
He said that
most of Nigeria’s stolen crude oil is taken through the waterways.
President
Buhari told the envoy that the commission was of strategic importance to plug
revenue leakages.
“That region,
between Senegal and Angola, affects our financial and physical security as a
country. Nigeria will, therefore, meet all its obligations to the Gulf of
Guinea Commission, and also encourage other member countries to do the same.
“This administration
will do its best to strengthen maritime security. The rejuvenation of the Gulf
of Guinea Commission is vital, and Nigeria will participate more effectively
because of the security implications,” President Buhari stated.
A statement by
a spokesman for President Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina said Ambassador Ukonga told
President Buhari that the Commission was established in 2001 to tackle piracy,
unregulated fishing, drugs and human trafficking and environmental pollution
among others.
The Gulf of Guinea
Commission, with headquarters in Luanda, Angola, also generates awareness among
member states on the need to maintain security in their territorial waters.
“We have been
giving the bad guys in maritime a run for their money,” the Executive Secretary
said.
The Commission
has eight countries as members from west and central Africa, with an intention
to admit more countries soon.
Source: ChanelsTV
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