April 21, (THEWILL) — Further to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) delegation’s port facility inspection visit to Nigeria, the Provisionary Committee of the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) has acknowledged the team’s honest and constructive assessment. The PC-NCG views the outcome as validation of ongoing reforms and a foundation for technical cooperation ahead of the Coast Guard Bill’s passage.
A statement issued by the Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Dr Piriye Kiyaramo, in Abuja on Monday, quoted the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of PC-NCG, Captain Noah Ichaba, as describing the outcome of the visit as a positive step toward deepening bilateral maritime security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States Coast Guard.
“PC-NCG counts the remark made by NIMASA BOSS that much work still needs to be done regarding port safety and security, and that all identified gaps would be addressed to ensure that Nigeria meets global best practices as an honest statement made by the delegation and their host.
Accordingly, PC-NCG sincerely enjoins relevant authorities and concerned individuals to accept that the era of whitewashing the surface and diluting the functions and substantial responsibilities of the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard is over. As such, it should be expected that a Coast Guard of another country visiting Nigeria to meet with the Coast Guard of Nigeria.
“The absence of the prestigious reputation and presence of the Coast Guard Agency from the Nigerian Maritime Space had created such identified gaps and non-conformity to acceptable international standards. It is time to close all existing vacuums by doing the needful to establish the Nigerian Coast Guard so as to place Nigeria on par with other maritime nations.
“Talking without fitting action avails nothing other than self-humiliation. Be it a measurable process as indicated or not, if the nation were to objectively track losses that she has been suffering all these years due to the absence of the Coast Guard, it would be concluded that far greater would have been achieved with the Coast Guard within the same period.
“The facts and factors are not far-fetched because port safety and security is not the only duty that the Coast Guard would be performing, given the fact that securing ships and crews are a fraction of its core mandate.
“So the measurable process in that regard was only an ad valorem quantification because it did not align fully with international maritime standards, which Nigeria, as a maritime nation, needs to align with, to upgrade its maritime security framework and advance the country’s competitiveness in global shipping and port operations, as well as keep pace with global best practices.
“Whatever the current arrangement and milestone achievement, the truth steers Nigeria in the face, and that is, without Coast Guard as the true steward in the maritime safety and security operations, to provide the much needed stewardship, operation and nurturing of the marine environment and resources; as a reliable guardian of the nation’s maritime commercial businesses, to foster realistic economic growth, safety and security, all efforts would still remain inappropriate activities”, Captain Ichaba maintained.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
