By Jibrin Baba Ndace
Nigeria is a maritime nation with a coastline of over 800 kilometres, an exclusive economic zone of well over 200 nautical miles, navigable inland waterways of 3,000 kilometres, six major seaports, 11 oil terminals, over 170 private jetties and six major inland container depots. It has abundant human and natural resources within the environment . The resources from this area account for about 95 percent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings.
Therefore, securing the maritime domain or what some experts call Maritime Environment (ME) has always been top priority of successful administrations in Nigeria. Indeed, the present administration under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan has been consistent on his call for a secure maritime environment.
However, despite this call by President Jonathan, Nigeria has continued to lose billions of dollars to criminals who operate in the maritime environment. Recently, Nigerian Navy (NN) revealed to Nigerians, while defending its 2015 budget before the Senate Committee on Navy, that Nigeria loses an estimated 100,000 barrel of crude oil worth N1.8bn daily to oil thieves. According to the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria loses N433.62bn to oil theft annually. It stated further that for the NN to continue to deter criminals and create an enabling environment for exploitation and exploration of Nigeria’s oil and gas resources, it requires more new platforms.
This disclosure by the Nigerian Navy is worrisome. However, what is more disturbing is that this is coming at a time when Nigerians are asking pertinent questions with regards to the nation’s littoral zones. The questions include: which government institution or agency is really in charge of Nigeria’s maritime environment; which agency or service is really responsible for securing our human and natural resources within the maritime domain; which agency or institution is statutory mandated to lead; which institution or agency should adequately be funded by the federal government?
Like many Nigerians, the revelation that the country loses billions of naira needed to build critical national infrastructure to private pocket every year, is unacceptable and sounds as an expensive joke to me. It is inconceivable that Nigeria still loses billions when it has outsourced the security of its maritime domain to ‘a very competent company’, Global West Vessel Specialist Agency (GWVSL), which is allegedly owned by Government Tompolo, an ex-militants of the Niger Delta, to “enforce regulatory compliance and surveillance of the entire Nigerian Maritime Domain”.
According to reports, the strategic concession was signed between the Nigerian Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA and GWVSL.
This disclosure is an indictment of the federal government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, who has outsourced the security of Nigeria’s maritime domain to a private concern.
Despite this hiring of GWVSL, Nigeria has continued to face both internal and external threats within its maritime domain such as smuggling, piracy, sea robbery, poaching, maritime terrorism, crude oil theft/illegal bunkering, sabotage, pipeline vandalism and political and communal conflicts and increasing global interest in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG), among others.
The questions being asked about the partnership between NIMASA and GWVSL are that: what is the pedigree of the company in maritime security? Is it in line with international best practices? What is the implication of this decision to the Nigerian Navy? What is the implication of this to Nigeria’s national security and national interest? In whose interest was the MOU signed?
Clearly, there appears to be lack of understanding by the federal government about the critical role of the Nigerian Navy as the leading government institution in securing Nigerian maritime environment, its funding needs and national security. That is why it was easy to outsource its primary responsibility and also for the ministry of finance to review its 2015 capital budget by 90 percent – from N205.4bn to N8bn.
Globally, the security and protection of economic interests in the maritime domain is the primary responsibility of navies or coastguards. Indeed, experts have argued that, ‘the basic interest of all coastal states’ navies and other forces like coastguards charged with the responsibility of policing the waters of a nation, is to attempt to further the basic interests of the coastal state, namely, the extension of sovereignty, resource enjoyment in contiguous areas and the maintenance of good order’.
It is important that those who take decision on behalf of Nigerians know that like other part of the world, in maritime security, the Nigerian Navy is the leading government institution, ‘the statutory chief custodian of defence and security of (Nigeria’s) economic base’, which cooperates with other government agencies such as the Immigration, Customs, Police, the Army, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Ports Authority for service delivery.
