Nigerian Navy seamen man a CIWS onboard a Sea Eagle Offshore Patrol Craft
DAILY INDEPENDENT
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15TH, 2012
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has proposed a joint military patrol of the Gulf of Guinea by Nigerian, Equatorial Guinean and Camerounian troops to secure the waterways and guarantee thriving informal trade between the three countries.
Speaking while receiving the letter of accreditation from the Consul General of Equatorial Guinea, Feliciano Asume Akieme, Imoke noted that the patrol will strengthen trade and commercial activities among the countries.According to Imoke,this has become necessary due to the sudden increase in the activities of pirates within the water boundary, which the three countries share. He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to initiate the move in that direction.
The governor said both Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have enjoyed trading partnership since colonial times and that such relationship should be maintained in the interest of the nationals of both countries. Imoke noted that the Consulates of Cameroun and Equatorial Guinea are domiciled in Cross River State, which is a reflection of the cordial relationship between the state and those countries. He promised to assist and cooperate with the Consul General in the course of performing his duties in the state.
Earlier, Akieme, who spoke through an interpreter, said his home government was interested in solidifying the relationship it has with Nigeria. Akieme assured that he would use his tenure to boost economic relations between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria.
A joint military patrol of the Gulf of Guinea by Nigerian Navy with WHAT? Is He not part of the Executive Council where he can instil upon the Federal govt for increased funding for the Navy to acquire sea going vessels?
we have sea going vessels. We dont need to go on a spending spree to to something this basic
@xnurr,what do you expect from the Governor do not care for his own Bakassi people?the FG should acquire brand-new frigates,submarines,long range maritime patrol aircrafts that have endurance of more than six hours,naval attack helicopters and finally launch dedicated Ocean Surveillance Satellites that should be packed in orbit over the Gulf of Guinea so that any thief that would enter inside our EEZ would be detected immediately.
The FG should stop giving us all the nonsense excuses that we do not have money to re-arm the Armed Forces!We should not be begging other nations for disused military hardware.
@peccavi, how many sea-going warships does the NN has now that are actually operation that you know?abi na mock you de mock us?
@ gbash
THIS IS JUST TALK that is all it is talk .Yes we do have Sea going ships OGA GBASH and they have to dock at port sometimes , The navy personnel do have shore leave.
NNS THUNDER was underway several thousand hours from January to June of this year, made many inspections of subject vessels, and several seizures. There, that is at least one sea-going warship of the NN…other correspondents may have useful intel on other seagoing NN assets getting underway. The CAT class vessels perhaps? The new French small OPVs? Most of the operations in the open press seem to be riverine; I’ll give Oga Gbash that much.
An increase in NN capability, considering the threats they face, and the assets and Area Of Responsibility they have to project, would be welcome, but from far away (my distant vantage point), it looks like they DO have enough assets RIGHT NOW to engage in some joint maritime operations with EquatoGuinea. Port calls in Malabo or Bata are well within reason.
Fellow patriots,
Considering how much resources this great country has, how much we have in external reserve, how much is being stollen by our leaders per day,the total area of our EEZ, and the fact that more than 80% of our GDP is sources from the Gulf, I say Nigeria Navy does not have ocean going vessels.
Just as “A TREE DO NOT MAKE A FOREST”, I say ” TWO FRIGATES ( THE YOUNGER OF WHICH IS 32YRS OLD) DO NOT MAKE A BLUE WATER NAVY”.
Ours is a Brownwater Navy. Maybe by this time next year/2014, things will be better. But presently, the 32 year old Aradu and the ” my-brother-dash-me-forty-something-year-old-gun-equipped-Thunder”( are the two “large tonnage vessels)in NN inventory, DO NOT CONSTITUTE A BLUE WATER NAVY.
I doubt if any other nation on earth as many small platforms (<20meters) as Nigeria. But what we need now are capital, ocean going, long endurance, large tonnage platforms to project power far beyond our shores. We have read on this forum how oil bunkering ships are deploying "radar jammers" just to come and steal our fish and oil!
Let Liyel Imoke talk to his colleagues at the governors forum, let each state contribute $2/3Million (2X36=$72M, 3X36=$108M) and acquire one/two Chinese Corvettes or any other platform that Oga Beeg has been showing on this forum for years now for the NN.
I suggest she should be named "NN Governor"
It's time he (Imoke) and his colleagues start putting their money where their mouth is.
God bless Nigeria.