OPENING REMARKS BY THE SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR THE CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF VICE ADMIRAL AZ GAMBO AM GSS psc ensp (RSA) MTM FNIM MUSNI FCIS FIIPS FCAI ON THE NAVAL ENGINEERING RETREAT 2021 HELD AT THE ADMIRALTY CONFERENCE CENTRE FROM 20 – 21 SEPTEMBER 2021
PROTOCOL
1. I am highly delighted to be in your midst today on this auspicious occasion of the Naval Engineering Retreat 2021. It is indeed a great pleasure to meet most of us again shortly after the Chief of the Naval Staff Annual Conference (CONSAC) recently concluded in Kano. This goes to show how important the Navy views the resolution of various challenges plaguing the ability of the Naval Engineering Branch to effectively contribute to attaining the Service goals. I, therefore, see this as an opportunity to critically examine the issues confronting the Nigerian Navy Engineering Branch in providing the requisite maintenance intervention to ensure ship availability, equipment serviceability and a well-motivated workforce in line with my vision.
2. Navies worldwide are known to be highly technical institutions and the Nigerian Navy is not an exception. Engineering, therefore, plays a critical role in promoting the development and effectiveness of navies, with the engineers and technicians being the driving forces towards sustaining the fleet and assets. I therefore believe that emplacing a well-structured engineering organisation and human capacity development programmes as well as practices consistent with global best standards and motivating technical personnel would greatly enhance the effectiveness of any navy. It is against this background that the Naval Engineering Retreat 2021 seeks to thoroughly scrutinise the organisational structure, training, practices and career management of the engineering branch and its personnel with a view to determining the ways of improving the current situation. It is for this reason that the theme for the 2021 Naval Engineering Retreat is titled ‘Repositioning the Naval Engineering Branch for Effective Service Delivery’. In line with the theme of the retreat, the objective is to examine challenges to the Naval Engineering Branch and evolve ways to mitigate such problems in order to move the Branch forward and the Nigerian Navy in general.
3. The format for the retreat would include short presentations on the 4 focus areas namely; Organisational Structure, Training, Career Management and Practice. Each of these would be followed by an interactive session where questions, contributions and pertinent issues would be raised and discussed by the audience as well as members of the discussion panels. Based on the outcome of the deliberations, some resolutions would be reached to mitigate identified gaps. Subsequently, the NHQ would consider and work out modalities to resolve the challenges militating against the effectiveness of the Naval Engineering Branch in moving the Navy forward.
4. The present administration, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to support the implementation of all initiatives towards ensuring and enabling the Nigerian Navy to fulfil its mandate of a secure maritime environment for Nigeria to prosper. On our part, I assure you that the resolutions of this Retreat would receive utmost consideration under my leadership in forging a path towards a more efficient and effective naval force. I am exceedingly delighted to welcome you all to the retreat and urge us all to be forthright in discussing the issues and proffering solutions to identified drawbacks. Also, I am very confident that with the calibre, knowledge and experience of resource persons, panels and audience we will together come up with practicable and enduring strategies and solutions to the problems of the Branch.
5. Accordingly, I charge you all to relentlessly bring your wealth of expertise and experience to bear in the deliberations in this Retreat. As earlier stated, the retreat is aimed at finding solutions to problems of the Engineering Branch. Therefore, I want to implore everyone present today to take ownership of this Retreat. It is only by doing this that deliberations from this forum can yield a feasible and sustainable solution to reposition the Engineering Branch for better service delivery. I have no doubt therefore that the objective would be met at the end of this Retreat.
6. Your Excellency, distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, once again, I acknowledge with appreciation the presence of everyone at this retreat. In particular, I want to appreciate the presence of His Excellency, the former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State Admiral Jonah (Retired), the Chief Executives of Dorman Long Engineering Services and Starsz Shipyard among other retired Admirals in our midst. I wish you all a fruitful deliberation towards ensuring a more productive Engineering Branch. It is also important to create time to enjoy with friends and associates while attending the Retreat here in Lagos. At this juncture, it is my singular honour and pleasure to declare the 2021 Naval Engineering Retreat open.
7. Thank you, God bless and Onward Together.