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Gloria Ikegbule
Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN), the umbrella association for Nigeria corporate organisations and practitioners in the maritime and security industry has elected new executives.
The inauguration of the seven-man executive to pilot the affairs of the association for the next two years took place during MASPAN third annual general meeting in Lagos.
Welcoming the newly elected executives, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral I.E Ibas represented by Real Admiral OB Daji, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, in his keynote address called for greater collaborations to boost security on Nigerian waterways.
According to him, the Nigerian Navy constantly engages various stakeholders to enhance maritime operations and also supports regional efforts towards collective maritime security. He maintained however that there was need for greater collaboration to boost maritime law enforcement and ward-off criminality from the country’s maritime domain.
Mr. Ubong King, the current president of MASPAN while agreeing to the need for constructive collaboration in the sector noted that when players act independently they leave lots of lapses and loopholes. He continued that when they come together they build a line of defense and representation which gives the agencies the kind of back-up and intelligence needed to win the battle at sea.
“The metamorphosis at sea in the last 20 years has been very aggressive because of the rate of unemployment and hunger in the land. To quickly cover the gap needs more support and aggressive approach. But if we keep doing things in isolation there will be loopholes that will cause more damage than good.
“So, MASPAN brings stakeholders under one roof to chart the course of making our waterways safe. We should be able to give direction more and watch that our members do what the Nigerian government want us to do. We should also be able to defend and protect our own waters space so that the economy is within us.
