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By Philip Nwosu
The Nigerian Navy has flagged off a naval maneuver to train its personnel in keeping up with their constitutional responsibilities of protecting the country’s territorial waters and test the operational state of vessels in the Western Naval Command area of operations.
Code named EXERCISE EJA EXPRESSION, was flagged off by the Flag Officer Commanding Naval Doctrine Command Rear Admiral Habila Zakaria, alongside the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command Rear Admiral Mustapha Hassan
Admiral Hassan lamented illegal fishing with Nigeria’s territorial waters, saying that it is well known that Illegal Unregulated and Unreported Fishing (IUUF) is significant in the GuIf of Guinea, especially as it poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems, food security, and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
The FOC said that EJA EXPRESSION will greatly enhance the proficiency of Nigerian Navy personnel in the command, adding that the exercise will enable the command to test the combat readiness of its vessel.
Also Admiral Hassan said, with the participation of other security agencies and some Federal government units in the exercise, including officials from the Fisheries department, will strengthen the level of interoperability and collaboration towards securing the waters and promoting a vibrant blue economy.
The FOC said that Western Naval Command Fourth Quarter Sea Exercise code named EX EJA EXPRESSION will help to combat Illegal Unregulated and Unreported Fishing (IUUF) and other maritime crimes in the GuIf of Guinea.
It was learnt that the issue of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems, food security, and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Experts say that the vast territorial waters of Nigeria, rich in diverse marine resources, are unfortunately exploited by unscrupulous actors engaging in IUU fishing practices. These activities not only undermine sustainable fishing practices but also have severe economic and environmental consequences.
IUU fishing refers to activities conducted outside of regulations or in violation of national and international fishing laws. These include fishing without proper authorization, disregarding catch limits, using banned gear, and not reporting or misreporting catches. Nigeria, with its extensive coastline stretching over 850 kilometers, faces substantial challenges in monitoring and enforcing regulations across its territorial waters.
Earlier Admiral Zakaria explained the operations of the Naval Doctrine Command, saying that the command serves as the nerve centre of the Nigerian Navy especially as it carries out assessment of all the fleet within the force.
He said it was the duty of the command to ensure that the fleets are operational ready adding that during the EXERCISE EJA EXPRESSION; the Naval Doctrine Command will also access the operational readiness of NNS KADA.
