By Augustine Ehikioya
Glad with the recorded achievements in the past one year, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo has said that the Navy is ready to tell the world its success story on what the Nigerian Navy and the government has been doing at the Africa Security Watch Awards (ASWA) and Conference billed for Dubai, United Arab Emirates in November.
Apart from the Nigerian Navy being nominated for the Award of the Most Outstanding Naval Force in Africa 2021/2022, the Naval Chief was also nominated for the award of the Most Outstanding Naval Chief In Africa 2021/2022.
According to him, Navy is not just happy with the awards, but he will be there and the “Navy will be fully represented to tell the Nigerian story.”
He spoke at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja when the Security Watch Africa (SWA) team, led by its President / CEO, Mr. Patrick Agbambu, visited him in his office.
The Naval Chief pointed out that there was no single sea piracy or hijack in the Nigerian waters in the past one year.
This, he said, made the world body regulating the maritime sector to give Nigeria a clean bill of health.
Ascribing the successes to team work in the Navy, he noted that the Navy is effectively patrolling the over 3,000 creeks in the Niger Delta, which are open up to the sea.
The Navy, he said, has not just been preventing piracy, but also protecting lives and properties in the area.
The Naval Chief also called on Nations to work together in order to fight the common problem of insecurity on the land and in the waters.
At home, he stressed that synergy among sister agencies and other security agencies will also ensure overcoming the security challenges.
He also called on the media to be more patriotic in its reportage in order to win the war against insecurity.
Congratulating him and the Navy earlier, Mr. Agbambu, stated the reasons why the Navy and the Chief won the awards.
One of the reasons, he said, was how the Nigerian Navy made the Bight of Guinea safe in the last one year for the blue economy to thrive.
With him on the visit were a Member, Board of Trustees of SWA Initiatives, Brig. Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman (Rtd), a member of International Awards Panel of Judges of ASWA, Chiemelie Ezeobi and Event Coordinator (Nigeria), Shully Daniels.