Naval Chief Calls for Increased Funding to Address Maritime Challenges
The Nigerian Navy is grappling with the daunting task of protecting the nation’s territorial waters and policing the maritime environment, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, has disclosed.
Speaking during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Navy in Abuja Today, Ogalla emphasized the Navy’s dual role, which extends to the country’s exclusive economic zone, which spans 84,000 square nautical miles.
“The Nigerian Navy is responsible for protecting our territorial waters, internal waters, and exclusive economic zone, which is approximately one-third of the nation’s landmass,” Ogalla said.
The Navy chief highlighted the challenges hindering the service’s effectiveness, including inadequate resources, maintenance issues, and Nigeria’s lack of industrial capacity for procurement and maintenance.
“Most of our maintenance and procurement requirements are foreign-based, and looking at the current economic issue, that becomes a serious challenge.
“We are hopeful, and we have always seen the good effort, cooperation, and support from the National Assembly in overcoming some of these challenges,’’ he added.
He thanked the national assembly for its continuous support to the navy to be able to perform its constitutional functions.
Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, acknowledged the Navy’s critical role in safeguarding Nigeria’s blue economy. He assured the service of legislative support to address its challenges.
“We are committed to ensuring accountability and effective utilization of resources allocated to the Navy,” Gagdi said.
Gagdi said the visit was part of the legislative duties of the lawmakers to ensure that government institutions like navy were made to be accountable for how taxpayers’ money had been expended.
He said the visit was a platform to have an interface with navy and to see how resources allocated to them were being utilised.
“We are here to follow up the taxpayers’ money, to equally ask questions, where we feel things are not done correctly, and if we do that, it doesn’t mean we are undermining any institution,’’ he said.
