Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, says increased manpower will enhance efforts to curb oil theft in the country’s maritime space.
The naval chief said this on Monday as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, as part of events lined up for the celebrations of the 69th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.
Vice Admiral Ogalla said the entire personnel of the Nigerian Navy at over 30,000 isn’t sufficient to man Nigeria’s coastal maritime area which is one-third of the nation’s landmass.
He added that the naval authorities have increased their annual enlistment of fresh minds to fill the vacuum.
The naval chief said, “It would surprise you to know that the Navy is just about 30 something thousand, and we have a coastal maritime area that is one-third of the nation’s landmass.
”Just about 30 something thousand in number. So, we are also building on this number, and we are increasing our recruitment, and our enlistment on an annual basis
”The most important thing is that we are making tremendous progress.”
Vice Admiral Ogalla also said the Nigerian Navy had become a continental force and a global reference, noting that it has grown from a small fleet to the third-largest Navy in Africa.
“The Nigerian Navy started with very few boats given to us by the Royal Navy but you can see that today, we are the third largest Navy in Africa.”
The naval chief highlighted the Navy’s improved infrastructure and surveillance capabilities, including a maritime awareness system that provided visibility at sea.
“We have one of the best maritime awareness capacity in the world, a system that gives us visibility out there at sea, ” he said.
Vice Admiral Ogalla emphasised the need for a collective approach among security agencies and communities to tackle oil theft.
He also noted that non-kinetic measures, such as addressing unemployment and illiteracy, were essential to combating oil theft.
The naval chief called for the establishment of special courts to swiftly prosecute oil theft suspects.
“We need special courts to make progress in the prosecution of maritime criminals, ” he said.
Vice Admiral Ogalla pledged that officers involved in oil theft would face severe punishment, including reduction in rank and dismissal. “It’s too risky for any of our men to engage in oil theft.”
The Nigerian Navy launched three ships and three helicopters to boost its capacity to fight oil theft and monitor the maritime environment.
Vice Admiral Ogalla said the new assets would enhance the Navy’s surveillance and emergency response capabilities.
