Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Naval Staff (CNS) Chief, has called for collective efforts to protect underwater resources.
He spoke at the XIV Trans-regional Seapower Symposium in Venice, Italy.
The Director of Information Naval Headquarters, Cdre A. Adams-Aliu Ogalla, stated this in his remarks at the 14th Sea Power Symposium, which was held in Venice, Italy, and had the theme “Spotlight on the Depths: The Underwater as New Frontier for Mankind.”
In his paper, “Preserving the underwater secure and sustainable use of underwater,” Ogalla highlighted the African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS), which recognises that the underwater holds enormous resources crucial for advancing Africa’s Blue Economy.
He also stated that Nigeria’s maritime Area of Interest encompasses its internal waters, territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and Gulf of Guinea.
The area has enormous underwater resources and serves as a seaborne trade medium, accounting for over 85% of Nigeria’s trade volume. It also has a variety of aquatic species and a reservoir of non-living natural resources, including over 36 billion barrels of crude oil and 182 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.
Furthermore, the CNS stated that, according to the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), about 60% of the oceans are outside national jurisdiction, which implies shared responsibility for preserving and securing the underwater.
The sea’s interconnectivity also compels collectivism in global strategies for enhanced maritime security to preserve underwater resources for safe and sustainable use. Hence, the AIMS sought to foster increased wealth creation from African states by developing a thriving blue economy in an environmentally stable manner while preserving underwater resources.
According to the statement, “The paper delivered by Admiral Ogalla was well received as it underscored the need for unified global efforts to harness resources of the sea for the common good. On the same day, the CNS had separate bilateral discussions with the Chief of the Italian Navy, Admiral Enrico Credendino and the American Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral Lisa Franchetti. The CNS and the CNO discussed their enduring partnership and how the U.S. Navy ship visits and collaboration demonstrate a shared commitment to regional security and stability.
“They further analysed how more opportunities to increase maritime cooperation and counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea could be facilitated. Admiral Franchetti thanked Vice Admiral Ogalla for Nigeria’s leadership in promoting maritime cooperation during exercises such as OBANGAME Express”.
The statement said the Nigerian Navy’s participation in the XIV Trans-regional Seapower Symposium was an opportunity to showcase the giant strides of NN, which has worked assiduously to eradicate piracy in Nigerian waters since 2022 and has exited the International Maritime Bureau list of Piracy-Prone States. It further provided the platform for improved international cooperation, a necessity for transnational maritime security.
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