By Henry Oladele
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas, says the Nigerian Navy will improve on its sea exercises in order to tackle maritime crimes within the waters.
Ibas said this at the opening of a two-day workshop organised by the Naval Doctrine and Assessment Centre (NDAC), holding at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Quorra, Apapa, Lagos.
Ibas was represented by the Chief of Naval Safety and Standard, Rear Adm. Ifeola Mohammed.
The theme of the two-day workshop is: ‘Improving Nigerian Navy’s Operational Procedures and Efficiency’.
According to the CNS, the workshop is for the Navy to access the various exercises and operations that were conducted in the Year 2018.
“Normally at the beginning of the new year, we do an assessment so as to see which lessons we can learn from the previous exercises and apply them to the new ones we will be conducting this year.
“This will allow for more improvement and ability to superintend over our waters and be able to deliver our mandate, which is to secure the maritime environment.
“The Navy will improve on its operations this year with the aim of delivering on its mandate and to defend the nation’s territorial integrity.
“At the same time, we will ensure safety of ships within the commercial environment.
“We have been achieving this over the years and we believe strongly that the Year 2019 will also be the same thing,” he said.
The CNS also said that the workshop was premised on the enormous challenges the Navy was currently facing.
He said that the Navy had been striving to deploy a force that had been trained to contend with the country’s asymmetric security dynamics.
“It is against this backdrop that the role of NDAC, in monitoring lives and simulated naval and joint exercises/operations; is germane towards strengthening navy’s operational capability.’’
He said that the NDAC was expected to continuously review naval techniques, tactics and procedures in the conduct of maritime and land-based operations.
Ibas also assured the public that the Navy had contingency plans being put together to ensure the forthcoming general elections were successful.
“We will do everything in our power to support necessary institutions, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigerian Police and other security agencies,” he said.
Earlier, the Admiral Superintendent, NDAC, Rear Adm. Maurice Eno, commended the Naval authorities for organising the workshop, adding that the time was apt.
He said that the Centre observed and assessed several fields and simulated exercises conducted by the Defence and Naval Headquarters, and other international navies in 2018.
The exercises that were conducted in 2018 include: Exercise (Ex.) Rivers Sweep III, and Ex. OBANGAME EXPRESS.
Others are: DHQ Contingency Plan Simulation Exercise codenamed ‘OJU OGUN-LE’, Regional Maritime Exercise (REMEX) codenamed `EX EKU KUGBE EX SULU INO’, `EX GBEWON Ml’ and many others.
He thanked the CNS for his continued support to the Centre, which he said made the workshop possible.
Several top military officers attended the workshop. (NAN)
