ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Outgone Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Saidu Garba, says that the prevailing insecurity in the country requires total commitment and positive leadership to tackle.
Garba stated this on Thursday while handing over to his successor at the CNC headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He said it was, therefore, necessary for every hand to be on deck to check the insecurity in the country.
Recall that in line with the recent posting of senior officers at strategic levels in the Nigeria Navy, Rear Admiral Kennedy Egbuchulam took over from Rear Admiral Saidu Garba at the CNC after serving the command for two and a half years.
The major postings involved a total number of 257 senior officers. The postings affected 60 Rear Admirals, 123 Commodores and 74 Captains.
The ex-FOC Garba is to resume as Navy Secretary at the Naval headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
While urging the new FOC to consolidate his modest achievements in the Niger Delta, Garba noted that some of the major challenges in the command’s area of responsibility are the problems of crude oil theft, illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism.
He said: “I think we have done a lot to reduce these incidents and over the last two and a half years that I have been here, we have seized millions of meters of illegally refined products, crude oil and destroyed several illegal refining sites in Delta and Bayelsa states.
“I want to emphasize that the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy which is exportation of crude oil has not dropped. We have not had any catastrophic problems with our pipelines or security issues that would have impinged on the nation’s economy.
“And we do not take for granted several efforts, one being the government, secondly the community leaders and thirdly, the part that concerns me, which is the enforcement of law and order within the maritime domains of Nigeria and I think we have done better.”
He challenged the new FOC to always encourage officers and ratings of the command to improve their knowledge of the Nigerian Navy operations and also enhance their physical training to become fitter to effectively carry out their duties professionally.
In his remarks, the new FOC, Rear Admiral Kennedy Egbuchulam, promised to lead by example and to work to ensure that every area of their responsibility is secured and the environment conducive for business to thrive.
Egbuchulam stated: “I want to urge everyone of us that all hands must be on deck. We must have in mind the core values of the Navy, which are integrity, professionalism and teamwork. Let me reiterate that the Nigerian Navy expects discipline and protectiveness from all of us with the Navy zero tolerance for criminality and illegalities.
“I want to appreciate the outgone FOC for all his good work, the excellent performance that he put up in the command during his two and a half years, there is no doubt that my predecessor is a very outstanding officer; he has done a lot and has achieved a lot.”