Headlines
War against pirates: Nigerian Navy deploys 13 warships, 1,500 troops in Gulf of Guinea

Eyewitness News
On Thursday, the Nigerian Navy deployed 13 warships, two helicopters, and 1,500 troops in a special military exercise against pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.
The deployment was a joint naval exercise with the French Navy and the Royal Navy.
Naval Chief of Staff, CNS Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, announced the deployment at the launch of Exercise Grand African NEMO 2021 in Onne, Rivers.
Represented by Rear Admiral Obi Egbuchulam, the General Officer Commanding the Central Naval Command, Gambo said three foreign Navies will also participate in the exercise.
He said the six-day exercise was also aimed at containing waves of oil thief attacks on critical oil and gas facilities as well as other crimes in Nigeria‘s territorial waters.
CNS said: “Exercise Grand African NEMO 2021 is an initiative of the French Navy in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and allied partners, to improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
“The exercise involves a multi-faceted deployment at sea and ashore of naval assets from the three operations commands of the Nigerian Navy.
“The exercise aims to ensure freedom of navigation in the country’s maritime environment and in the Gulf of Guinea by strengthening coordination in the fight against maritime insecurity.
According to Gambo, crimes include piracy, theft at sea, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing as well as illegal bunkering of oil and the illicit trafficking of people, weapons, and drugs.
He said the exercise would improve policing in the country’s exclusive economic zone and the navy’s capabilities and ability to secure the country’s waterways.
“To this end, the exercise will involve a total of 13 ships, around 1,500 people, two helicopters, and three foreign warships, including the French Navy and the Royal Navy.
“The Nigerian Navy Maritime Awareness Area facilities and Special Vessel Service (Navy Special Forces) elements will also participate in the exercise.
“The exercise will also cover the fight against piracy, the protection of oil installations as well as the conduct of search and rescue operations, among others,” he said.
The Naval Chief said the country’s economic zone had witnessed recent threats from criminal gangs, hence the Navy’s current new strategy to deny criminals freedom of action.
He said the morale of the troops had been boosted with the recent signing of the anti-piracy law.
According to him, the special military exercise will serve to consolidate the achievements of “Exercise Beni Kekere”, carried out three months ago, and of “Operation Calm Waters II” underway.
Headlines
Aftermath of Adeyanju’s exit, crisis resurfaces in MWUN

Headlines
NIMASA embarks on digital revolution to plug revenue leakages, enhance optimum operations

— spurns smear campaign against the process
“To set the records straight, following a comprehensive internal review of operational systems, the current leadership of NIMASA resolved to embrace technology as a means of enhancing the Agency’s capacity to deliver on its regulatory mandate more effectively and to bring into the coffers of government additional revenue ensure funds due government does not end up in private hands.
“A pivotal innovation in this regard is the Maritime Enhanced Monitoring System (MEMS).
“The additional recipients targeted are, waste reception services, a routine operation for both domestic and international vessels have traditionally lacked proper tracking, resulting in unmonitored activities and significant revenue losses.
“Marine pollution control, another critical area of NIMASA’s mandate, has similarly been constrained by limited digital tools. In the absence of satellite tracking and automated reporting, pollution events often go unnoticed or are reported too late to mitigate their impact.
“It is important to emphasize that past revenue shortfalls experienced by the Agency mainly stemmed from outdated manual processes, fragmented data systems, and insufficient digital enforcement mechanisms which allowed some external elements to capitalize on the loopholes for personal gains .
“The current reforms being implemented by NIMASA are focused squarely on overcoming these limitations.
“The public is therefore advised to disregard the misleading reports and instead support NIMASA’s transformation journey as it aligns with the broader national objectives of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
“The Agency remains committed to strengthening Nigeria’s maritime governance, ensuring environmental safety, and optimizing revenue for the nation.
“It is worthy of note that the Deep Blue Project of the Agency which now enjoys global recognition also witnessed such resistance at the initial stage” the agency noted.
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