Nigeria seeks $1.4m to bring in security ship donated by S’Korea to fight piracy’
The Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, had said bringing in the security ship donated by South Korea to fight piracy in the Gulf of Guinea will cost Nigeria $1.4 million.
Jamoh, who disclosed this during a media parley in Lagos recently, said as part of foreign communities’ contribution towards the success of the deep blue project, South Korea donated a security ship to Nigeria recently to help strengthen the fight against maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
The NIMASA boss also frowned at the continuous sabotage of Nigeria by member states in the Gulf of Guinea. He said these countries are angry that Nigeria is getting all the commendations and support in the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, especially with the huge amount of money spent by Nigeria in securing the waters through various projects.
Jamoh said due to this negativity, the international community views Nigeria with disdain and see the country as criminals.
“Whatever happens in the Gulf of Guinea, either in the territorial waters of Nigeria or Sao Tome, or others, these member states point fingers at Nigeria. Our integrity is stained; nobody respects us anymore due to the member states of the Gulf of Guinea.
“We can no longer speak. We speak at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and they look at us as part of the criminals because if there is an attack and people are kidnapped in Togo, Ghana, Gabon or Guinea itself or Sao Tome, these member states will blame it on Nigerian because most of the pirates operate in Nigeria soil. It becomes very difficult and delicate for us to even speak,” he stated.
He said aside from the $195 million assets of the Integrated National Maritime Surveillance and Security Infrastructure also known as the deep blue project, Nigeria needs $1.4 million to bring in the security ship to secure its waters in the Gulf of Guinea.
Jamoh said lack of funds is delaying the country from bringing in the security ship, which is in South Korea, to strengthen its security assets.