Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas has assured that the Nigerian Navy will continue to maintain existing relationships with its partners and work on the same trajectory towards sustaining the gains recorded in securing the Gulf of Guinea.
He said this while playing host to the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Stefano Pontesilli at the Naval Headquarters Abuja.
The CNS said there was close collaboration between the Gulf of Guinea region navies towards stemming the tide of recent incidences of insecurity in the region.
He said the Nigerian Navy had in the last four years reduced the incidences of illegalities, maritime insecurity and piracy in the Nigerian maritime space and within the Gulf of Guinea, and has continue to intensify its efforts towards checking crimes.
Vice Admiral Ibas said the synergy with foreign partners through exercises like GRAND AFRICAN NEMO, recently concluded, would go a long way in further improving the safety of the region’s maritime environment as well as boost economic activities.
The CNS said the Nigerian Navy was open to exploring other avenues in the areas of training and capacity building for its sailors in hydrography as well as technical expertise in the operationalization and maintenance of the Leonardo helicopter.
Earlier, Pontesilli said he was at the Naval Headquarters to introduce the new Italian Defence Attaché to Nigerian, Colonel Michele Devastato, to the CNS. He said Italy was favourably disposed to further cooperation with the Gulf of Guinea in anti-trafficking and maritime security operations.
According to the ambassador, the visit was also to intimate the CNS of the successful completion of Exercise GRAND AFRICAN NEMO, and that the participating European frigates were currently docking in Tema, Accra.
The ambassador added that the frigates will be moving back to the sea in the Gulf of Guinea and remain there till the middle of December in order to consolidate on the successes of the recently concluded exercise.
