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Denmark in Gulf of Guinea to protect multi-billion dollars investments in maritime in Africa 

The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen being led by officials of Tema ports to tour the facility

 

Eyewitness reporter
In recent times, foreign Navies have moved their war machines to the Gulf of Guinea to offer support to Nigeria and other countries in the region to fight piracy that has been the hallmark of the axis.
Britain and Denmark have their warships patrolling the volatile region and their presence has actually helped to scare away the sea marauders.
Early this month, Denmark deployed frigate Esbern Snare equipped with a Seahawk helicopter, maritime Special Forces among other crew to the region to combat piracy and perform other mandates until April 2022.
The patrol ship last Wednesday killed four out of eight pirates after a heavy gun battle outside Nigeria’s territorial waters.
But it has been revealed that the willingness of these foreign countries to help the countries in the Gulf of Guinea was more for self-preservation to protect their economic interests than to be charitable countries.
 The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, who paid a two-day working visit to Ghana this week, declared that Denmark have a strong interest in free trade and a passion to protect its vast investments in shipping.
“Traditionally and in future, we have a strong interest in free trade, to protect our ships and our part of the global infrastructure when it comes to shipping and cargo,” Ms Frederiksen explained.

While addressing journalists at Tema port as part of her two-day visit to Ghana, Ms Frederiksen expressed the need to intensify the fight against piracy.

“What took place on Wednesday shows how important it is that we work together on security issues.

“It underlines why this area is facing huge challenges therefore I’m proud to see Denmark play such an active role in the fight,” she said.
Denmark has over the years committed lots of resources to protect its investments in the Gulf of Guinea.

The country, whose one of its companies, AP Moller has one of the biggest stakes in the Shipping business in Nigeria, has launched a $ 7 million programme in 2018,  focusing on Ghana and Nigeria despite being part of the European Union’s Gulf of Guinea Inter-regional Network (GoGIN) programme on regional coordination in West Africa.This year, Denmark appointed a special representative for maritime security and added $ 1.5 million to the programme which will finance maritime training facilities for customs, police, tax, immigration and fishery authorities to increase interagency coordination.

It is expected to enhance the two countries abilities to capture and for Nigeria also to prosecute pirates and implement piracy law which Denmark provided support for drafting.

Ghana and Nigeria house the two biggest ports for Danish shipping companies apart from proximity to pirate attacks and anti-piracy collaborations.

According to Ms Frederiksen, Denmark is interested in helping others and will, directly and indirectly, be involved in securing the region working closely with Ghana.

“We have been working together for many years in many areas but now different aspects of security are higher on our common agenda,” she said.The European nation will from next year begin a 5-year programme covering Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria building on previous engagements.

The $ 26.5 million programme will support United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) and Interpol in their operation to improve national and regional agencies’ capacities.

Through the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), the programme will also facilitate convening dialogue and develop the capacity of navies and Special Forces.

The Prime Minister accompanied by the opposition leader from the Liberal Party, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen interacted with the management of Meridian Port Services in Ghana.

Before her engagement at the Tema port, Mette Frederiksen visited Christianborg Castle in Accra which also houses the Ecowas Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre for Zone “F” which comprises Ghana, Coast d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

The entourage from Denmark visited Ghana as part of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Growing insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea has challenged countries in the region and their international partners to up their game in tackling it.

The region continues to remain a hotbed for piracy which threatens peace and security as well as international trade.

In 2020, 95% of all kidnappings at sea is said to have happened in the Gulf of Guinea which has about 40 Denmark merchant ships using the route daily.

However, with the intervention of foreign countries, including Denmark, the region has in recent times recorded a low incidence of pirate attacks.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the Gulf of Guinea region recorded 28 incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the first nine months of 2021, compared to 46 in the same period in 2020

Incidents of piracy in the first nine months of 2021 are the lowest reported in 17 years.

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Customs

Korea deepens collaboration with Nigeria Customs, fetes Adeniyi

Funso OLOJO
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea hosted a formal dinner on Thursday, 31 October 2024, in honour of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi and members of his management team at the Embassy in Abuja.
 The event underscored the strengthening of bilateral relations and the shared objectives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Korean authorities.
CGC Adeniyi, accompanied by senior officers including Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) of Human Resource Development, Greg Itotoh, DCG of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, and DCG of ICT-Modernisation, Kikelomo Adeola, expressed his appreciation for Korea’s commitment to partnership. In his address, CGC Adeniyi highlighted the progress achieved through collaboration with the Embassy of Korea and other allied agencies, noting how these relationships have enhanced the NCS’s capacity to adopt advanced technologies.
“It is due to our dedicated partnerships that the NCS is now engaged in data analytics programmes, in alignment with World Customs Organization standards,” CGC Adeniyi stated. He elaborated on how these analytics enable the Service to make informed decisions, benefiting from predictive, descriptive, and prescriptive insights. “Learning from global leaders, like Korean Customs, has empowered us to adapt and refine our data-driven strategies,” he added.
The Korean Ambassador, His Excellency Kim Pankym, commended the CGC and his team for their dedication and expressed optimism about continued collaboration. “We are honoured by the Comptroller-General’s presence here tonight, and we look forward to further strengthening ties with the Nigeria Customs Service,” Ambassador Pankym said.
He emphasised the Embassy’s commitment to supporting the growth and modernisation of the NCS.
In his remarks, DCG Greg Itoto expressed the Service’s appreciation for Korea’s proactive engagement with NCS initiatives. “The Embassy’s support and willingness to partner with us are instrumental in driving our Service to greater heights.
“We look forward to continued growth through these collaborations,” Itotoh stated.
The evening reflected the deepening relations between the two nations and affirmed Korea’s dedication to Nigeria’s customs modernisation and capacity-building efforts.
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Headlines

Oyebamiji, NIWA boss, assures international community of Nigeria’s irrevocable commitment to secure, safe waterways transportation 

Funso OLOJO
The Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, has taken his campaign for safe and secure water transportation in Nigeria to the international audience in London where he reiterated the irrevocable commitment of the Authority to accident -free navigation on Nigeria’ s inland waterways.
Oyebamiji, who was  in London, attending the 46th Consultative Conference of Contracting Parties in International Maritime Organization, (IMO) Headquarters in the United Kingdom, vowed that no stone would be left unturned to champion the constitutional obligations of the Authority and achieve its mandate under the umbrella of Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said the safety on Nigerian Waterways remains nonnegotiable as the Authority was irrevocably committed to nip in the bud the scourge of boat mishaps occasioned by noncompliance with the safety standards by the reckless boat operators and defaulters.
NIWA boss further disclosed said insights at the ongoing conference would further help to improve and develop Nigeria’s inland waterways for navigation as part of the cardinal objectives of the Authority.
Oyebamiji joined other stakeholders, intellectuals and experts in the maritime sector across the globe, where they are dissecting the topical issues bordering on Marine Geoengineering; Marine Litter and Microplastics and CO2 Sequestration in order to decisively tackle critical ocean challenges across the world.
According to him, by implementing the London Protocol, Nigeria can significantly advance its inland waterways sector, aligning it with sustainable international practices, protecting marine ecosystems and strengthening socio-economic benefits.
The Protocol which has serious implications on the Nigerian Maritime sector is centered on issues relating to inland waterways as it shapes environmental practices, safety and sustainability.
Some of the issues being deliberated on were; environmental protection; strengthened waste management practices; international compliance and standards; capacity building and training; enhanced monitoring and enforcement; support for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and health and livelihood support respectively.
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Headlines

Bello, Ex Kogi gov.,shuns court proceedings as EFCC seeks his trial in absentia

The Eyewitness Reporter 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC)on Wednesday October 30, 2024 asked Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, to proceed with the trial of a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello in absentia, arguing that his non-appearance in court for arraignment should not be allowed to frustrate his trial.

The EFCC through its lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, also urged the court to enter a plea of “not guilty” on behalf of Bello.

Bello is facing trial on 19-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80.2billion.

The court had summoned him for arraignment six consecutive times.

Pinheiro told the court that the former governor’s refusal to appear for his arraignment was malicious and that the court should not demonstrate helplessness by not trying him in absentia.

“A court can never demonstrate helplessness. That would be an indication of anarchy and society is based on the rule of law.

“The court demonstrating helplessness will negate the basis of the rule of law,” he said.

Arguing further, the EFCC’s counsel reminded the court that a defendant’s refusal to engage the court’s processes should not frustrate his trial, maintaining that justice is a three-way mechanism.

 “A criminal trial must not be held hostage, truncated or frustrated by a defendant’s refusal to engage the process.

“Justice is a three-way street:  justice to the defendant, justice to the prosecution who has assembled witnesses and justice to the society”.

Earlier in his submissions, he urged the court to enter a not guilty plea for Bello to pave the way for his trial contending that under Section 276 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, a defendant’s physical presence in court is not an absolute requirement for arraignment.

“The right to plead guilty or not guilty is a right that can be waived by the defendant,” adding that Bello’s absence should not impede the case.

“My first application is to formally enter a plea of not guilty to the defendant, even in his absence.

“The second point is, notwithstanding his physical absence, trial can proceed. What prejudice will the defendant suffer if my lord enters a plea of guilty or not guilty in his absence?

” Even if he was in court and pleaded not guilty, the situation would still be the same.

“The entry of a plea of not guilty by your lordship is an invitation to the prosecution to come and prove the veracity of the allegations”, he said.

In response, counsel for the defendant, Michael Adoyi, opposed the prosecution’s motion, citing a previous court order requiring the defendant’s presence before any applications could be entertained.

He emphasized that the application was contrary to the court’s directive issued earlier.

 “Our first point of response to the application made by the learned senior counsel to the complainant is that the application is made contrary to the subsisting order of this honourable court, even made this morning, that no application can be entertained by this court in the absence of the arraignment of the defendant,” he said.

Pinheiro rebutted Adoyi’s argument, urging the court to reject the defence’s position and proceed with the plea entry, assuring that it would not infringe on the defendant’s rights or affect the trial’s fairness.

Justice Nwite, after listening to both parties, noted that a ruling on the matter may not be possible within the current year due to court schedules.

 “It may not be possible to deliver this ruling this year”

 Pinheiro then proposed that the matter be adjourned for ruling and arraignment, which Justice Nwite granted, adjourning the case until January 21, 2025.

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