October 31, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives Committee on the Navy has called for improved funding of military commands in Nigeria, considering the arduous tasks that military personnel are required to perform daily to maintain the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
The call was made by the Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, who led the members on an oversight visit to the Central Naval Command (CNC) headquarters in Yenagoa, on Friday.
During the visit, Gagdi also commended the CNC for its professionalism, discipline and prudent management of resources, saying the navy had done very well with the little resources at its disposal.
He said that when the Armed Forces act is passed, it would enable the Navy to prosecute offenders in the maritime domain.
Gagdi said the act would empower the Nigerian Navy to take offenders to court for prosecution without them handing over to other security agencies.
The committee chairman who later inspected facilities at the command, lamented the dearth of infrastructure at the command headquarters.
“The Navy has done incredibly well. In terms of the little resources made available to you, the quality of the projects is highly commendable.”
“But going round the Central Naval Command, particularly the headquarters, I am surprised by the number of issues they have here,” he said.
Gagbi noted that the location of the naval command in Bayelsa State, with its huge economic potential, should get better attention than it is getting now.
The Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command (CNC), Real Adm. Obinwanne Egbuchulam, commended the committee and he said the CNC had been able to slow down the level of criminality in the Niger Delta region.
He appreciated the good work that the house committee on the Navy had done to place the Nigerian Navy in a better position.
The FOC promised not to disappoint on the committee’s confidence in the Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy.
He said the CNC, which was established in 2012, had continued to reduce maritime ills by conducting rigorous routine naval operations and mounting dedicated operations to meet specific mandates.
“As the youngest command with the youngest bases, much work has also been done to improve on the operational efficiency and welfare of naval personnel in the area which you will soon be briefed on.
