Augustine Ehikioya
For almost two and half years in the saddle, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral, Awwal Zubairu Gambo, has brought unprecedented changes and successes to the Nigerian Navy.
Before his tenure, the Nigerian Navy was faced with several challenges happening almost on a daily basis in the Nigerian waters.
Those challenges included rampant piracy and smuggling, oil spill resulting to ecological damage to ocean and rivers in the country.
Oil pipeline vandalization and crude oil theft were also major issues in the Niger Delta.
Several other illegal activities along the creeks and estuaries in the Niger Delta were also very rampant before CNS Gambo’s tenure.
Due to his leadership style and dynamism, some operational achievements, however, have been listed in favour of the Nigerian Navy, under CNS Gambo, who assumed duty as the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of Nigeria on the 29th of January, 2021.
Under his watch, the Nigerian Navy was said to have been able to sustain effort at curbing all forms of maritime illegalities within the Nigerian maritime domain.
His leadership style and support to all the units under him was said to have been the game changer.
Among the achievements under him was the smashing of smuggling operations in the Nigerian waters.
Anti-smuggling operations such as Operation CALM WATERS and Operation TRI-PARTITE Joint Border Patrol, were said to have been reinvigorated under his tenure.
Some achievements in this area included seizure in the year 2021 of 3,672 bags of foreign rice valued at Seventy Million Seven Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (N70,740,000.00) only at market price of N20,000.00.
For that year also, 10 suspects were arrested in the anti-smuggling operations.
In the year 2022, about 3,656 bags of smuggled rice estimated at One hundred and Nine Million Six Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira (N109,680,000.00) only at market price of N30,000.00 were seized while 17 suspects were also arrested for the offence.
In order not to overstep its boundary, the Nigerian Navy was said to have accordingly handed over the seized items and suspects to the appropriate prosecuting agencies for further action.
The Nigerian Navy, under CNS Gambo, was also said to have tackled the issues of anti-Crude Oil Theft (COT) and illegal bunkering head-on.
Through Operations conducted by the Nigerian Navy Bases and FOBs in the years 2021 and 2022, it was said to have cumulatively deactivated 268 Illegal Refinery Sites (IRS) in 2021 and 504 IRS in 2022.
The activation of Operation DAKATAR DA BARAWO in April 2022 with increased gunboat patrols specifically increased aggression and yielded more successes against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering.
The deactivation of IRS, under CNS Gambo, was also said to have immensely reduced illegal oil dealings within the Nigeria maritime domain.
To this end, a total of approximately 1,664,628.70 Barrels of crude oil; 51,877,738 litres of AGO; 143,770 litres of DPK and 3,150 litres of PMS were denied oil thieves in 2021 alone.
In the year 2022, the Nigerian Navy also denied oil thieves illegal dealings in oil totaling approximately 503,767.79 barrels of crude oil; 41,148,172 litres of AGO; 1,400,400 litres of DPK and 132,665 litres of PMS.
Using current market rates, the total monetary value of petroleum products which were denied oil thieves was said to have amounted to the sum of N158,121,912,279.28 between January 2021 to December 2022.
The amount, the Nigerian Navy noted, could have been used to perpetuate various acts inimical to national security and prosperity.
Crediting CNS Gambo for the feat due to his zero tolerance for COT and illegal bunkering activities, it was expected that the acquisition of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) facilities for the inland waterways leading to enhanced surveillance capability of the Nigerian Navy would further reduce crude oil and other petroleum products recovered from oil thieves in the year 2023.
The efforts of the Nigerian Navy in anti-COT/illegal oil bunkering within the period 2021 and 2022 were said to have led to increased oil production output and reduction of oil loses particularly in 2022.
Another area things are looking up for the Nigerian Navy under CNS Gambo is in the Anti-Piracy/Sea Robbery Operations.
While there were 22 pirate attacks within the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) in 2021 with 11 within Nigerian waters, a total of 4 pirate attacks were recorded in the GoG with none in Nigerian waters in the year 2022.
The reduction in pirate attacks in 2022 was attributed to continuous maritime patrols by Nigerian Navy ships and effective surveillance capabilities by the MDA facilities, which kept continuous surveillance on shipping activities within Nigerian Maritime Environment (NME) under CNS Gambo.
While year 2021 and 2022 had series of attempted sea robbery, only 3 successful sea robberies were recorded in both years 2021 and 2022.
Looking at the summary of Arrested Vessels in the Years 2021 and 2022, the Nigerian Navy arrested a total of 44 vessels in 2021 and 49 vessels in 2022.
Out of the 93 vessels arrested within the period, the Nigerian Navy revealed that 21 of them were handed over to EFCC, 20 were handed over to NIMASA and one vessel was handed over to NDLEA and 2 to the Department of Fisheries. 17 of the arrested vessels are still in the custody of the Nigerian Navy while it disclosed that 32 have been released to the owners on completion of investigations or trial.
Under CNS Gambo, the Nigerian Navy using the MDA facilities also arrested many ships including Ships Conveying Illegal Drugs with its renewed efforts at curbing all forms of illegalities within Nigeria’s maritime environment.
It arrested MV CHAYANEE NAREE on 8 October, 2021 and the Ship was laden with 32.9kg of cocaine which was valued at N6.5 billion. Also on 7 November, 2021, MV KATERIA was arrested within the Nigerian waterways and the ship was loaded with 13.65kg of cocaine valued at N4 billion.
In the same vein, the Nigerian Navy intercepted and arrested 2 wooden boats around the border between Nigeria and Republic of Benin on 23 December, 2021, both laden with 261 bags of marijuana, which was valued at over N100 million.
In another development, 2 wooden boats were arrested on 14 January, 2022 conveying 268 bags of marijuana worth over N100 million.
The Nigerian Navy, under CNS Gambo, also took drastic steps by deploying platforms to maintain round-the-clock presence at sea to protect critical offshore assets and oil facilities.
This is said to have made Nigeria to enjoy safer maritime environment and in turn improved economic activities.
To further improve its presence at sea, the Nigerian Navy has also partnered with Private Maritime Security Logistics Companies (PMSLCs).
The partnerships, overtime are said to produce a multiplier effect in the deterrence of illegal activities by non-state actors within the maritime environment.
To this end, Nigeria was delisted from piracy prone countries by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in March, 2022.
Many other factors were said to have played great roles in the successes recorded including implementation of concessional commission, digitization of Nigerian Navy Logistics activities and conduct of Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS 2022.
Others included commissioning of gunboats, procurement of Landing Ship Transport (LST), development and sustenance of indigenous ship building and digitization of NAVSEC Branch activities.
The Nigerian Navy also carried out the systematic survey of coastal and offshore waters, establishment of Nigerian Navy Research Institute, conduct of International Maritime Conference and Regional Maritime Exercise (IMCREMEX) and commencement of OP DAKATAR DA BARAWO.
Other milestones by the Nigerian Navy under CNS Gambo included commissioning of Ultra-Modern Sport Complex, sealift of Military hardware and logistics for Nigerian Contingent of ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea Bissau and upgrade of Nigerian Navy Engineering College.
It also reviewed the Nigerian Navy Uniform Regulations, production of Standard Operating Procedure booklets for fire fighting emergency response and evacuation at Naval Headquarters (NHQ) Complex, donation of patrol boat to the NN and presentation of drones to the NN.
The Nigerian Navy also focused and achieved the transfer of Directorate of Research and Development to Nigerian Navy Transformation Branch, ground breaking and foundation laying of Naval Out Post TONGEJI and commissioning of Naval Headquarters Extension Complex
To give more bite to its activities, the Nigerian Navy, under CNS Gambo, inducted and commissioned newly acquired platforms and helicopter into its fleet on 9 December, 2021.
The platforms and aircraft commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari, has enhanced Nigerian Navy capacity to curtail criminal activities in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The ships commissioned included the Hydrographic Survey Ship LANA, Inshore Patrol Craft (IPC) NNS ABA, NNS KANO, NNS IKENNE and NNS SOKOTO. Others are Fast Patrol Boats (FPB) NNS OSUN and the Seaward Defence Boat (SDB) III constructed by the NN christened NNS OJI. Additionally, NN312 helicopter was also commissioned
The Nigerian Navy in the past two years is also said to have achieved much in vessel construction, maintenance and refit, which signifies its efforts in Research and Development (R&D) geared towards development of indigenous ship building capacity.
The Nigerian Navy, under CNS Gambo also made history after its first multi-purpose Hydrographic Vessel NNS LANA began a systematic hydrographic survey and charting of the Nation’s coastal and offshore waters on the 31st March, 2022.
For the Nigerian Navy to continue to do exploit, the recent delivery of military materiel/arsenal to the Nigerian Navy included one A109SP helicopter, which was delivered in January, 2023.
Still empowering the Nigerian Navy, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday 22nd of May, 2023 commissioned a newly acquired Nigerian Navy helicopter 410 manufactured in Italy and two capital Ships at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The President, at the 2023 Presidential Fleet Review and Commissioning Ceremony of Nigerian Navy Ships and Helicopter, also commended the ability of the Navy to put the vessels into effective use.
He noted that the the Nigerian Navy had recorded successes in the fight against resource theft, counter-drug operations and piracy.
To ensure that the gains recorded over the years do not go down the drain, the President charged the incoming President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sustain the current tempo of his administration by supporting the Navy to effectively carry out its assigned tasks.
Especially with the giant strides recorded in the Nigerian Navy since year 2021 to-date, it is hoped that everything will be done to ensure it doesn’t fall below its current enviable status.
It will also be nice for the government to assist the Nigerian Navy reach its next level in all ramification of equipment, facilities and operations.
No stone, therefore, should be left unturned to make the Nigerian Navy second to none in the whole world.
