REMARKS BY THE CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF VICE ADMIRAL AZ GAMBO AM GSS psc ensp (RSA) MTM MNIM MUSNI FCIS FIIPS FCAI DURING THE VISIT OF THE GHANA NAVY CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF TO NAVAL HEADQUARTERS ON FRIDAY 11 JUNE 2021
PROTOCOL
1. On behalf of the officers, ratings and civilian staff of the NN, I have the honour to once again warmly welcome the CNS Ghana Navy and his entourage to the Naval Headquarters. I am particularly delighted to note that Nigeria and Ghana have enjoyed long brotherly relations which cover economic, education and military training cooperation. This good relation is equally manifest in the several interactions between the Nigerian Navy and Ghana Navy. I must not fail to mention the remarkable contributions to the Ghana Navy-CNS to manpower development during his tour of duty at the prestigious AFCSC, Jaji as a member of the Directing Staff.
2. The Gulf of Guinea is currently bedevilled by the activities of criminal elements who take advantage of the limited capability of the navies in the region to adequately secure the area. The threat posed by the activities of these criminal elements constitutes a major challenge not only to the littoral states but equally undermines regional development and global trade. Notably, the transboundary and transnational nature of maritime crime makes the security of the maritime domain a task beyond the capacity of any country acting alone. It is against this backdrop that this bilateral engagement was convened at the instance of the Heads of Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Ghana towards addressing the maritime security challenges within the region.
3. It is believed that this engagement would foster greater collaboration and burden sharing that is hinged on the Cooperative Maritime Security Framework as envisioned in the 2013 Yaoundé Protocol to arrive at strategies that would help address the maritime insecurity for enhanced economic prosperity in the region. On behalf of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, I hereby declare this technical session open. In your deliberations, please consider amongst others:
a. Maritime Area of Interest covering Zones E and F.
b. Integration of the capabilities of the countries in Zones E and F.
c. Emplacing a robust intelligence-sharing mechanism.
d. Collaboration with international partners.
4. On this note, I most sincerely thank the Ghana Navy CNS and his entourage. I have no doubt that this engagement would further strengthen the existing cordial bilateral relations between Nigeria and Ghana as well as our navies. I wish to also express our sincere appreciation to our distinguished invited guests for honouring our invitation to this memorable event. Thank you, God bless and Onward Together.