The Cross River state governor, Senator Bassey Otu, Tuesday, appealed to the Nigerian Navy to establish an operational base along the maritime border between Nigeria and Cameroon at the Bakassi maritime axis.
Governor Otu, who made the appeal during his visit to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, in Abuja, Monday said the Cameroonian authorities were maintaining security control along its side of the divide while the Nigerian side remains under-protected.
“My visit today is aimed at solidifying existing relationship between Cross River state and the Naval authority. My government is committed to fostering economic progress along the coastal areas and other parts of Cross River state, particularly in the vicinity of the Bakassi Peninsula.
“It is due to the importance of that axis to our economy that I appeal to the Naval authorities to establish a robust presence along that maritime border,” he stated.
The governor further commended the Navy for numerous Naval establishments in the state, including Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, the Eastern Naval Command, the Naval War College Nigeria, and Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, among other key facilities and infrastructure.
He said he was seeking collaboration for security and economic advancement along the coastlines of the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport in the state.
He reiterated the significance of obtaining Naval assistance, saying such presence would ensure protection of coastal investments, port development, while national oil assets and platforms within the state would also be safeguarded.
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