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By Philip Nwosu
The Director of Navy Affairs at the Ministry of Defence, Joel Adeoye, has assured that the Federal Government would prioritise improved funding and welfare for the Nigerian Navy in the coming budget cycle.
Adeoye, who made this known during an interview yesterday, commended the Navy for recording significant achievements despite operating under severe budgetary constraints.
“My observation with the Nigerian Navy is that in the face of paucity of funds, they have been able to achieve a lot. I wouldn’t have expected them to do more than what they’ve done because of budgetary constraints. Going forward, we have to find a way to provide more funding in the next budgetary year after consultation with my two ministers.”
He stressed that additional funding would be directed at logistics support and personnel welfare, which he identified as critical to sustaining naval operations.
“If the necessary logistics are not there, we can’t achieve the purpose of why the ship was acquired.
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“From what I’ve seen, the issue of the welfare of the Nigerian Navy needs to be seriously attended to for good results to be achieved.”
Speaking on the long-inactive flagship vessel of the Navy, NNS Aradu, he disclosed that the government was weighing options on whether to repair or decommission the ship.
“We have seen that more modern ships that are far better than that are coming on board. So, if the cost of repairing it will be more expensive, we may declare it beyond economic repair and go for a better option. Possibly, NNS Aradu may be decommissioned after careful review.”
He, however, expressed confidence in the Navy’s growing capacity, particularly with the anticipated acquisition of modern vessels.
He assured that the government will continue to provide support to enable the force meet its constitutional mandate of protecting Nigeria’s maritime domain.
