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By Johnson Adebowale
Merchant Sail Navy International Security, a private marine security outfit established and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja, as a security body, on December 10, marked its second anniversary and graduated another batch of officers.
The Commander-General of the security outfit, Captain JohnLinus Okoronkwo, used the occasion to clear the air on the recent arrest of a group of merchant navy, saying his organization was not in any way affected by the recent pronouncement made by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, that merchant navy had been proscribed by the Federal Government. He explained that, in 2010, the Merchant Navy was tagged illegal and banned in Nigeria as a result of the illegal activities witnessed by various marine operators then, and no license or registration with the name ‘Merchant Navy’ was issued to regulate the association’s operations.
He said: “In the year 2010, the Merchant Navy was tagged illegal and was banned in Nigeria because of Illegal activities, which included impersonation and fraudulent conduct and there was no license or registration with the name Merchant Navy to regulate the association or the operations and activities, therefore, the activities of those operating with the name became illegal.
“On December 10, 2019, Merchant Sail Navy International Security, a private marine security outfit, was established and registered as a security body under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja, which operates under the laws of Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and this our organisation today became the only registered sail navy in the country. We have a deep history of our organisation as a reserve marine force, duly verified and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja. We have an origin, we are an international body formed under the United States Marine Department and we are registered to operate in the 36 states of Nigeria.”
Asked if there was any understanding between the organisation and the police in Lagos about its operations, Okoronkwo explained that: “Following our last passing-out parade, we wrote a letter to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Lagos State, Lagos Commissioner of Police, and even the divisional police command in Lekki, intimating them of our Lagos establishment and our operations to flush out illegal operators.
“The AIG, following our letter, invited us to a meeting. It was at that meeting we made the clear fundamental difference between the outlawed merchant navy and our organization. The meeting was a successful one. We were able to prove to them that our organisation, Merchant Sail Navy International Security, popularly known as Sail Navy, was a legal outfit evident in our verifiable registration with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission.
“Though there are many outfits that bear the name ‘merchant navy,’ many have no document of registration and these are illegal operators that should be brought to book. However, he advised those that believe they were registered to always use their name to operate rather than using the names they were not registered with.
“Merchant Sail Navy, unlike the other unregistered operators, does not impersonate the Nigerian Navy. We don’t use camouflage or naval items. What we have is the general marine white outfit. Our air plate and nametag bear no resemblance with that of the Nigerian Navy. The active-duty navy uses Nigeria Navy as badge; we use Nigeria Sail Navy with our name and logo boldly written on it. We don’t engage in a duty we are not approved to do. Rather, we handle our jobs according to what the CAC approved for us, and the more license we acquire the more operations we carry out.
“We don’t recruit the uneducated. We observe membership induction programme when recruited. To join the outfit, you must first apply for the membership form. Our members are professionals and educated, cutting across various professions: lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants, administrators, lecturers, graduates and non-graduates alike, who are willing to join the outfit and contribute their quota towards protecting life and property, especially in the maritime sector. They are all well informed. They know their boundary and their rights and they knew they belong to an organisation that is duly registered, so they cannot be harassed.”
Speaking on the bill for the Nigeria Coast Guard, which has already passed first and second reading at the Senate, he said such a bill, if it is eventually passed, would be a step in the right direction, believing it would make maritime safety and activities adequately regulated.
The Commander-General listed the core duties of his organisation as approved by the CAC to include carrying on the business of protecting life and property; implementing the objectives of the local content act and other relevant shipping laws; carrying on the business of establishing a shipbuilding company; establishing a world-class maritime institution; providing professional maritime training, security equipment and professional security as well as trained security dogs; of promoting agriculture; stopping illegal oil activities; regulating maritime activities and preventing illegal oil production such as bunkering; and to carry on the business of general contracts and general merchandise.
Addressing the successful new officers, he charged them to fit into the organisation’s standards, maintain peace, be disciplined and protect the law. They were also encouraged to report all unusual and illegal acts to the law enforcement agencies. With this, the Merchant Sail Navy will continue to excel. The Lagos Commandant was decorated as the best MSN officer of the year at the event.
