The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed when the Belgium Ambassador to Nigeria paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja that the Maritime Security Project to secure the Gulf of Guinea, GoG, would be launched in Lagos in June by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The minister said, “the crisis in the maritime sector is the maritime insecurity and it’s more complex than the world knows, but the Federal Government has come up with a solution and it is ready to take off. The Navy, Police, Army and State Security Service are involved.
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“If it is successful, in the near future, there will be improvement in maritime security, then other countries in the Gulf of Guinea can adopt it”, he said.
Amaechi added that up to 75 per cent of crime in GoG comes from Nigerian water, which if eliminated, would drive progress in the sector.
He said, “If you are in the air, you see what is happening in the water, you are inside the water, you will be able to respond, the helicopter has the capacity to drop in the Naval men when they see anything suspicious.”
The minister further stated that he will be glad to partner and share information with anyone who wants information for the purpose of securing the GoG.
The Belgian Ambassador, Daniel Bertrand had earlier presented official letter to the minister requesting for support of the Nigerian government for the Belgium candidate for a position at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
