Nigeria Loses N7 Trillion To Insecurity In High Seas Annually – Dogara

..Tasks Nigerian Navy To Be More Alive To Its
Responsibilities.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara,
has disclosed that Nigeria loses about N7 trillion naira annually
to insecurity and revenue leakages in her waterways.
Dogara also posited that security in Nigeria’s teritorial waters
must be strengthened, with the Nigerian Navy and other relevant
agencies collaborating to stem the tide of piracy and other
attacks, while the parliament seeks ways to secure its territorial
waters.

He disclosed these at a public hearing on a Bill for an Act to
amend the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Act,
reconstituting the Maritime Operations Co-coordinating Board for
effective control of all maritime operations in Nigeria’s
territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone, create the
Maritime Security Fund and establish anti-piracy offences.

The Speaker said, “It is even more worrisome to note that
Nigeria is said to be losing about N7 trillion annually in the
Maritime sector due to among other reasons, leakages in revenue
generation and insecurity in the water ways.

“Between January and March 2016, several attacks were reported
off Nigeria’s coast. This was said to involve pirates stealing
cargoes of crude oil and petroleum products. Reports had it that,
no fewer than 44 ship crew members were abducted. In the first half
of this year, about over 20 commercial vessels were attacked in
Nigerian waters. The increasing level of attacks and violence in
the Gulf of Guinea have given Nigeria and other countries in the
sub-region very damaging and negative image in addition to an
estimated monthly loss of $1.5 billion to the country.

“As I said recently, prevalence of insecurity in our waters
resulted in the loss of $1.3 billion annually to illegal Unreported
and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in West Africa alone yearly. We must
tighten the legal and regulatory framework to stop these losses.
The only way to promote intra- African trade in our water ways is
to ensure safety and security of navigation in our waters.

“What is disturbing is that pirate attacks in West Africa are
said to be occurring in our territorial waters, terminals and
harbors and not in the high seas which effectively stopped
intervention by international naval forces.

“Thus, the onus is on the Nigerian Navy to stem the tide and
secure our territorial waters, in cooperation with other agencies
of government. However, in the absence of enabling laws that
stipulate stiff penalties and adequate funding, the Navy may not be
able to perform this responsibility effectively and efficiently,”
he stated.

Speaking on the importance of the maritime sector to achieving
the Federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan that was
launched in March this year to effectively take Nigeria from
recession to recovery, as well as the 8th House of Representatives’
Legislative Agenda on National Economic and Development to put in
place, legislative measures to promote rapid economic growth and
development, Dogara stressed that the importance of making
Nigeria’s maritime sector safe and secure cannot be over emphasised
given that the bulk of our trade and commerce come through our
waters and ports.

“This will greatly boost government revenue, increase our
foreign reserve and ultimately provide jobs to millions of our
youths.

Our water ways and even the gulf of Guinea have been witnessing
increasing level of piracy and kidnapping of expatriates and
Nigerians alike. This Bill addresses these challenges by among
other things, stipulating stiff penalties for offences of piracy
and other criminal activities in our territorial waters and
Exclusive Economic Zone.”

He assured that laws that will address insecurity in the sector,
especially piracy, will receive urgent passage in the House to
restore order to the marine sector where the International Maritime
Bureau, Oceans Beyond Piracy and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian
Response Programme all reported in 2012 that the number of vessels
attacked in the West African sub-region, for which the Gulf of
Guinea belongs, had reached a world record high with about 1000
seafarers attacked in that year alone.

Noting that poor funding has been one of the constraints of the
Nigerian Navy in securing Nigeria’s waterways, the Speaker said the
creation of the Maritime Security Fund will go a long way in
providing the much needed fund to also effectively despatch it
sub-regional duties of patrolling the Joint Development Zone
between Sao Tome and Principe and Nigeria, and the Gulf of Guinea
generally.

He, however, encouraged the committee to consider handing the
new functions to existing agencies or activating moribund
institutions, rather than setting up new agencies in this period of
economic recession.

“Where necessary, the mandate of existing agencies may be
amended to reflect the intentions contained in another Bill
concerning the agency involved. But I will leave it to the House
Committees to sort out,” he added.

..Tasks Nigerian Navy To Be More Alive To Its
Responsibilities.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara,
has disclosed that Nigeria loses about N7 trillion naira annually
to insecurity and revenue leakages in her waterways.
Dogara also posited that security in Nigeria’s teritorial waters
must be strengthened, with the Nigerian Navy and other relevant
agencies collaborating to stem the tide of piracy and other
attacks, while the parliament seeks ways to secure its territorial
waters.

He disclosed these at a public hearing on a Bill for an Act to
amend the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Act,
reconstituting the Maritime Operations Co-coordinating Board for
effective control of all maritime operations in Nigeria’s
territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone, create the
Maritime Security Fund and establish anti-piracy offences.

The Speaker said, “It is even more worrisome to note that
Nigeria is said to be losing about N7 trillion annually in the
Maritime sector due to among other reasons, leakages in revenue
generation and insecurity in the water ways.

“Between January and March 2016, several attacks were reported
off Nigeria’s coast. This was said to involve pirates stealing
cargoes of crude oil and petroleum products. Reports had it that,
no fewer than 44 ship crew members were abducted. In the first half
of this year, about over 20 commercial vessels were attacked in
Nigerian waters. The increasing level of attacks and violence in
the Gulf of Guinea have given Nigeria and other countries in the
sub-region very damaging and negative image in addition to an
estimated monthly loss of $1.5 billion to the country.

“As I said recently, prevalence of insecurity in our waters
resulted in the loss of $1.3 billion annually to illegal Unreported
and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in West Africa alone yearly. We must
tighten the legal and regulatory framework to stop these losses.
The only way to promote intra- African trade in our water ways is
to ensure safety and security of navigation in our waters.

“What is disturbing is that pirate attacks in West Africa are
said to be occurring in our territorial waters, terminals and
harbors and not in the high seas which effectively stopped
intervention by international naval forces.

“Thus, the onus is on the Nigerian Navy to stem the tide and
secure our territorial waters, in cooperation with other agencies
of government. However, in the absence of enabling laws that
stipulate stiff penalties and adequate funding, the Navy may not be
able to perform this responsibility effectively and efficiently,”
he stated.

Speaking on the importance of the maritime sector to achieving
the Federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan that was
launched in March this year to effectively take Nigeria from
recession to recovery, as well as the 8th House of Representatives’
Legislative Agenda on National Economic and Development to put in
place, legislative measures to promote rapid economic growth and
development, Dogara stressed that the importance of making
Nigeria’s maritime sector safe and secure cannot be over emphasised
given that the bulk of our trade and commerce come through our
waters and ports.

“This will greatly boost government revenue, increase our
foreign reserve and ultimately provide jobs to millions of our
youths.

Our water ways and even the gulf of Guinea have been witnessing
increasing level of piracy and kidnapping of expatriates and
Nigerians alike. This Bill addresses these challenges by among
other things, stipulating stiff penalties for offences of piracy
and other criminal activities in our territorial waters and
Exclusive Economic Zone.”

He assured that laws that will address insecurity in the sector,
especially piracy, will receive urgent passage in the House to
restore order to the marine sector where the International Maritime
Bureau, Oceans Beyond Piracy and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian
Response Programme all reported in 2012 that the number of vessels
attacked in the West African sub-region, for which the Gulf of
Guinea belongs, had reached a world record high with about 1000
seafarers attacked in that year alone.

Noting that poor funding has been one of the constraints of the
Nigerian Navy in securing Nigeria’s waterways, the Speaker said the
creation of the Maritime Security Fund will go a long way in
providing the much needed fund to also effectively despatch it
sub-regional duties of patrolling the Joint Development Zone
between Sao Tome and Principe and Nigeria, and the Gulf of Guinea
generally.

He, however, encouraged the committee to consider handing the
new functions to existing agencies or activating moribund
institutions, rather than setting up new agencies in this period of
economic recession.

“Where necessary, the mandate of existing agencies may be
amended to reflect the intentions contained in another Bill
concerning the agency involved. But I will leave it to the House
Committees to sort out,” he added.