Navy charges officers to be innovative in tackling maritime insecurity

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas, has charged newly promoted officers to bring new ideas, innovations and be inventive in tackling the myriads of security challenges facing the maritime domain and the nation at large.

Ibas stated this yesterday in Abuja at the decoration ceremony of 16 senior officers who were recently elevated to the rank of Rear Admirals.

He said the perpetrators of these ills have remained relentless in ingeniously devising ways to circumvent the security measures deployed and it needs no profound analysis to connect the inverse effect of their successes with serious injury to the nation’s well-being.

According to him, the security challenges facing the maritime domain include; maritime terrorism, resource theft and sabotage of their supporting infrastructure, piracy and armed robbery, which target maritime trade and affects the economy of the nation.

The CNS noted that as a littoral State, Nigeria has high dependence on the maritime environment for her economic survival, stressing that shipping activities, exploitation and exploration of maritime resources as well as use of port facilities have over the years been responsible for major portion of the revenue that drives the nation’s budget.

He said: “As you cannot afford the option to shirk your responsibilities, you would be expected to be more innovative, judicious and inventive, such that you maximise the output of any resource you input.

“My dear admirals, the foregoing seeks to emphasize to you that until now, you had been at the decision making cadre of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“But from now onward you will be expected to perfect these decisions and further distinguish yourself in finding workable solutions to myriad of maritime challenges confronting the Navy and indeed other social problems facing the nation.

“It is the only way for you to give back to the society that has been so kind to you and justify the confidence of the system that has adjudged you worthy of this recognition.”