Retired Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, snd others at the launch of a Counter-Piracy and Response project in the Gulf of Guinea, in Abuja
… NIMASA donates relief materials to IDPs, security equipment to govt. in Niger***
Former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, says the influx of small arms and light weapons has heightened piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Piracy has become increasingly sophisticated with the influx of small arms and light weapons in the hands of pirates and criminals on waterways and high on seas,” he said on Tuesday in Abuja.
Also read: Gulf of Guinea: Nigeria’s Peace-keeping Centre, UNDP Launch Counter-Piracy Project
Agwai was speaking at the launch of a Counter-Piracy and Response project in the Gulf of Guinea.
The launch was organised by the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre (MLAILPKC) in collaboration with the UNDP.
Agwai is the Chairman, of the Board of Trustees of MLAILPKC.
He noted that the maritime domain had remained a critical route for human interactions and trade and brought about human interconnectivity and relationships between nations.
According to him, in contemporary times, sea interactions have brought about global economic prosperity and increased the relationship between nations and cultures.
“The maritime domain accounts for the movement of most global goods and services through different sea passages like the China Sea, the Strait of Singapore, the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Guinea amongst others.
“Some of these sea passages have, however, continued to experience hijacks, kidnappings, robbery and piracy,’’ he said.
Agwai said also that reported cases of piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea had continued to threaten the ease of moving goods and services.
He added that incessant pirate attacks had also resulted in increased maritime insurance costs, and higher prices of goods and merchandise, including oil and gas resources.
There had also been the growth of regional illegal markets in clandestine goods and services, he noted.
According to him, costs associated with piracy and other crimes are ultimately passed on and borne by final consumers.
“The Gulf of Guinea which extends from Senegal in the west to Angola in the South remains a very critical socio-economic nexus between the Americas, Middle East and Asia.
“I cannot but state that the launching of the project would herald the Centre as a regional hub for Anti-Piracy Training toward mitigating the negative impacts of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the Commandant, MLALIPKC, Maj.-Gen. Auwal Fagge noted that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea had been discouraging foreign investment.
He said that weakened control of offshore areas had slowed the deployment of the blue economy and encouraged illicit freight and illegal fishing.
He said the Centre had embarked on a research project with a review to proffering solutions to piracy in the region.
He thanked the government of Japan, the UNDP and other partners for the launch of the project and for their continuous support.
The Director of Peacekeeping Operations, Naval Headquarters, Rear Adm. Abdulmajid Ibrahim, who also spoke at the launch, said the Nigerian Navy had continued to evolve strategies to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Ibrahim said that the navy had been carrying out a series of capacity development, especially with the acquisition of a new ship.
The rate of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is believed to be one of the highest in the world.
According to the European Union Maritime Safety Agency’s factsheet, an estimated 1,500 fishing vessels, tankers and cargo ships navigate the Gulf of Guinea daily.
The International Maritime Organisation states that the number and severity of attacks on vessels by pirates in the region have a significant impact on global trade and the safety of seafarers in the region.
In another development, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Tuesday donated relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and security equipment to the Niger government.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, flagged off the distribution of the items which included maize, rice, millet, tomato, oil, spaghetti, beans, blankets and sewing machines for IDPs in Minna.
Jamoh, represented by Ibrahim Sudan, Deputy Director, Maritime Labour in the agency, said other items were security equipment such as motorcycles, boots, walkie-talkie radio, bulletproof jackets and handcuffs, among others.
Earlier, the state’s Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) in collaboration with NIMASA also organised a security sensitisation workshop for security personnel with the theme: “Legal and Non-legal Weapons of Self Defence”.
In his opening remarks, Alhaji Ahmed Inga, Director-General of NSEMA, said that the workshop was for both agencies to contribute their quota to the current security challenges in the state and the country at large.
Inga, represented by Malam Garba Salihu, Director, Relief and Rehabilitation in NSEMA, added that the workshop was to help enlighten security personnel to discharge their duties effectively.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, said the essence of the workshop was to sensitise security personnel in states affected by security challenges and support them with response gadgets.
Jamoh said that the agency was concerned about the security challenges across the country, adding that the safety of maritime industry security starts from the land.
The resource person, Malam Dantani Sallau, who made a presentation on “Three Essential Elements of Ideal Community Crime Management and Policing”, emphasised the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the menace of insecurity.
He noted that addressing insecurity and reducing crimes in any society needed a multi-structural approach, adding that criminals were now focusing on radicalisation and indoctrination of young people’s views to achieve their inordinate ambitions.
He called on parents to wake up to their responsibilities of bringing up their wards to become responsible citizens as well as the government to come up with programmes and policies to engage young people in useful ventures.
Also, Mr Abdullahi Jabi, the guest speaker, presented a paper on: “Identifying Future Crime”, calling on the government to look at the potentiality of the youths on a demographic level.
He said further that the government ought to see how the changes in a democratic setting are utilised in terms of policy formulation, rights education for children and employment to reduce crimes and violence in communities.
