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Navy vows to tackle oil theft, others in Niger Delta

By Chido Okafor, Warri
24 September 2019   |   4:10 am
The Intra-Command 2019 Tug of War and football contests of the Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy (NN) ended yesterday with a declaration by the Navy to tackle crude oil theft...

Nigerian Navy

The Intra-Command 2019 Tug of War and football contests of the Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy (NN) ended yesterday with a declaration by the Navy to tackle crude oil theft, illegal oil bunkering, sea robbery, piracy and other maritime crimes.

The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command (CNC), Rear Admiral Suleiman Garba, who spoke during the closing ceremony of the competition held at the NNS Delta Base, Warri, Delta State, said the CNC had brought criminal activities, such as crude oil theft, sea robbery, piracy and other associated crimes, to their barest minimum, adding that the development had helped to boost crude oil production and enhance the economy of the nation.

Garba said the Nigeria Navy was now better positioned to protect the nation’s maritime assets in the Niger Delta and to boost the economy.

He said the Navy’s effective security measures had led to drastic reduction in oil theft and boosted crude oil production, adding that with consistent capacity development and training, the NN personnel would be well positioned to confront contemporary and future operational challenges.

The FOC said the commitment and efforts of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral I.E. Ibas, for the development of personnel capacities had led to the introduction of various initiatives, which had led to operational improvement of the NN.

“Just recently, the command successfully conducted its third quarter sea exercise which was aimed at checkmating the rising incident of Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF), including other maritime crimes in the command’s area of responsibility,” he said.

He said the competitions would go a long way in preparing the personnel for effective performance.

Meanwhile, the Special Guest of Honour, Air Officer Commanding Mobility Command, Air Vice Marshall Peter Uzezi, lauded the Central Naval Command’s various efforts at combating criminalities and illegal activities in the nation’s domain, saying that the initiatives introduced by the NN to develop personnel competencies and abilities had encouraged them to be dedicated to their duties.

Uzezi presented trophies to Team Sorrow and Team Delta, which won the Tug of War and Football competitions. They would represent the command at the national naval event.

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