Nigeria?s Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, says increased manpower will boost the efforts to curb oil theft in the country?s maritime space.

The naval chief stated this on Monday as a guest on Channels Television?s Sunrise Daily programme, as part of events lined up for the celebrations of the 69th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.

Vice Admiral Ogalla said the entire personnel of the Nigerian Navy at over 30,000 isn?t sufficient to man Nigeria?s coastal maritime area which is one-third of the nation?s landmass.

He quickly added that the naval authorities have increased their annual enlistment of fresh minds to fill the vacuum.

The naval chief said, ?It would surprise you to know that the Navy is just about 30 something thousand, and we have a coastal maritime area that is one-third of the nation?s landmass. Just about 30 something thousand in number. So, we are also building on this number, and we are increasing our recruitment, and our enlistment on an annual basis.

?It is an ongoing fight but the most important thing is that we are making tremendous progress.?

Vice Admiral Ogalla said the Nigerian Navy was not where it used to be, saying that it has become a continental force and a global reference.

The naval chief said, ?The Nigerian Navy started with very few boats given to us by the Royal Navy but you can see that today, we are the third largest Navy in Africa and our goal is to become the largest Navy in Africa that can contribute effectively to global force projection.

?In terms of infrastructure and platforms, we have grown tremendously. In terms of surveillance and other maritime awareness, we have one of the best maritime awareness capacity in the world, a system that gives us visibility out there at sea.

?Like I always like to caution, every technology and every infrastructure has its limitation and that is why the human element comes into play, and we are not taking this aspect for granted; we are developing our personnel, we are also equipping ourselves.?

Special Court To Try Oil Thieves

He said Nigeria has recorded a drastic reduction in the activities of oil thieves in the last couple of years.

The naval chief noted that curbing oil theft demands a collective approach among the security agencies including the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force, as well as communities around the coastal areas.

Vice Admiral Ogalla also said that aside from kinetic measures, oil theft must also be tackled through non-kinetic means including unemployment, illiteracy, among others.

He added some of the ships used by oil thieves are not owned by Nigerians hence it makes prosecution difficult. He reiterated the need for the establishment of special courts for the swift prosecution of suspects.

?We need special courts to make progress in the prosecution of maritime criminals,? Vice Admiral Ogalla said, adding that a presentation on it has been made to the justice minister Lateef Fagbemi and it is being considered.

Severe Punishment

He pledged that oil theft can be reduced to a level where it does not economically affect Nigeria?s oil revenue.

The naval chief also said officers involved in oil theft have been severely punished under his leadership. He said some of them have had their ranks reduced, and some dismissed. ?It?s too risky for any of our men to engage in oil theft,? he warned, sternly.

According to him, the Nigerian Navy has a plan for the surveillance and monitoring of the environment to detect oil saboteurs. He added that the Navy is expanding its infrastructure and increasing its fleet for more sophisticated platforms for quick emergency response,

Vice Admiral Ogalla said to boost the drive for increased capacity to fight oil theft, the Navy launched three ships and three helicopters on Sunday. (Channels TV)

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