Nigeria has got approval from the United Nations (UN) to have an extended Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).The feat, The Guardian gathered, allows Nigeria to redraw the territorial map of its sovereignty in the Gulf of Guinea, thereby granting the right to exploit the abundant carbon and marine resources in the area.

Chairman, United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), Adnan Rashid Nasser Al-Azri, made the announcement in a statement regarding Nigeria’s submission, yesterday.

He said the approval coincided with the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy by President Bola Tinubu to boost the maritime sector. He linked the remarkable success to the contribution of Prof Lawrence Awosika, who became a member of UN-CLCS in 1987 and has chaired the commission for two consecutive terms.

Al-Azri said his professional and scholarly works on the global scene have positioned Nigeria as a country with vast influence in the Gulf of Guinea.

According to him, by this extension, Nigeria will now have more maritime space with the additional 20 nautical miles. He added that the Gulf of Guinea serves as a strategic trading route, where there are high-level commercial maritime activities like fishing.

Commenting on Awosika’s patriotism to see this achievement through for Nigeria, an Expert on Mission, Regular Process, UN – Division of Oceans and Law of the Seas (DOALOS), UN Headquarters in the New York and Founder/President, African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative (AFMESI), Dr. Felicia Mogo said: “AFMESI deeply congratulates Nigeria for the approval by the United Nations (UN) to extend her Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This is a big win for the government and people of Nigeria, especially with Nigeria launching into the Blue Economy/creation of the Ministry for Marine and Blue Economy.”