Nigeria will as a matter of urgency consider the pleas of the Gulf of Guinea Commission on its desire to perform its statutory duties.This position was disclosed by the Vice President Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo who received the Commission’s Executive Secretary on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan in his office. The Vice President noted that the Gulf of Guinea is a strategic location of interest not only to Nigerian but the member countries and international community promised to look into the request of the Secretariat and advise President Jonathan appropriately so that a decision shall be reached as to allow the Secretariat function optimally.
A press release by Umar Sani Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Vice President said that much earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Commission Miguel Trovoada who spoke through an interpreter had noted the significance of Nigeria in the formation of the Gulf of Guinea Commission in 2001. He also stated that of the eight member countries consisting of Angola, Cameroun, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Cong, Sao Tome and Principe only the later was not an oil producing country. He observed that the challenges posed by the Gulf were those of maritime security, piracy etc which needed to be adequately addressed. According to the Secretary, the Commission failed to discharge its primary mandate of securing the energy resource of the region and ensuring that these were peacefully exploited in ways that would provide the best possible advantage to the people of the region. He therefore called on Nigeria to assist by supporting the Commission attain its mandate.
In attendance were the Minister of State Foreign Affairs Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Martin I. Uhomoibi, Amb. (Mrs.) Adenike Ukongo and some of the Commission’s Secretariat staff.
