By Augustine Ehikioya
To deter economic sabotuers, the new Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Idi Abbas, has pledged to strengthen maritime security in the country.
In the process, he also promised to fight all forms of economic sabotage in the country including crude oil theft, sea robbery, illegal mongering, unregulated fishing and drug trafficking.
The now promoted Vice Admiral Idi Abbas gave the promise while taking over the rein of office from the immediate past CNS, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, in Abuja. Security Watch Africa (SWA) covered the ceremony.
He said “The Nigerian Navy has a standing legacy of protecting our nation’s maritime domain, from the coastal waters to the deep blue expanse of the Gulf of Guinea, our officers and ratings have consistently demonstrated courage, professionalism and resilience.
“I salute every member of the Navy family for your service and sacrifice. However, I am not unaware that our maritime environment remains threatened by the scourge of crude oil theft, sea robbery, illegal mongering, and unregulated fishing and drug trafficking.
“These crimes not only undermine our national economy and energy security, but also threaten the livelihoods of our coastal communities and the economic stability and prosperity of our their nation.
“To confront these challenges decisively, my tenure will be guided by a clear and actionable strategic approach focusing on strengthening maritime security and combating illegalities, enhancing the operational capability of our fleet through aggressive fleet renewal, use of technology, prioritizing training and personnel welfare, as well as fostering inter agency synergy, regional and international collaboration.”
To succeed in his plans to conduct operations towards tackling the diversive security threats, he said that serious attention will be given to approach of jointness with Sister services and close cooperation with relevant security agencies in the country.
Stressing that the task ahead is demanding, he said it is not insurmountable.
He therefore called on the personnel to rededicate themselves to the core values of the service, which are integrity, professionalism and teamwork.
“I wish to reiterate that the Nigerian Navy, under my watch, will be a professional and accountable institution. We all know that the maritime domain is the lifeline of our economy, and the Nigerian Navy is fully committed to safeguarding it for national prosperity.
“We will work tirelessly to ensure that our waters are safe for legitimate commerce and exploration of our blue economy,” he stated.
Vice Admiral Idi Abbas also promised to prioritise the welfare of officers and men of the Nigerian Navy.
“I demand the highest standards of discipline and moral conduct from every one of you. In return, I promise to lead from the front to listen and to ensure that your welfare remains top priority the the journey ahead is a collective one that requires cooperation and synergy with other security agencies and the unwavering commitment of every member of the Nigerian Navy.
He expressed gratitude to God Almighty for making him the 23rd chief of the Naval staff, adding “I am eternally grateful to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Tinubu, for finding me worthy.”
“By God’s grace, I promise to uphold the proud traditions of excellence and service that define us. And I commit to executing my duties with unwavering dedication, integrity, fairness and loyalty to the Nigerian nation.”
He acknowledged and commended the contributions of predecessors, whose exemplary leadership he noted has laid a solid foundation for the progress and achievement that have been made thus far.
“In particular, I wish to give special tribute to my immediate predecessor, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla for his visionary leadership and commendable service. The foundation he has built and the stride made under his command provides a solid platform upon which we must now build.
“His legacy embodies humility and dedication to the ideals of the Nigerian navy. We honor and value your service to our dear nations,” he stated.
The immediate past Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, at the occasion took time to highlight achievements recorded under his tenure.
“Today, I address you with a sense of fulfillment and profound gratitude to Almighty God who has brought me this far in my career as I formally conclude my tenure.
“I cherish both the sense of accomplishment this milestone brings and the mixed emotions of parting from an organization that I regard as my family. In all things, I find myself fulfilled having started out with a modest dream of becoming a military officer and ending up as the chief of Naval staff for this period has been the greatest honor of my professional life, to lead this exceptional arm of service.
“In the last two years of my command of the Nigerian Navy, the Navy made significant strides in its operational activities with commendable improvement in the nation’s maritime security.
“We have preserved the sanctity of our maritime space, ensuring there was no piracy incident under my watch. This is following the delisting of Nigeria from the International Maritime Bureau, global parity report.
“Over 800 illegal refining sites and over 5000 storage facilities used for illegal concrete were deactivated, with over 240 suspects and services vessels arrested.
“It is also gratifying to state that sequel to presidential directive, under my watch, commence fiscalization duties in the nation’s major oil and gas export terminals.
“This measure has supported the efforts of statutory agencies by enhancing transparency and determinants, resulting in increased oil production, which has been acclaimed to be the highest in the last decade.
“I am pleased to recall significant progress made in fleet recapitalization and maintenance during my tenure. The Nigerian Navy acquired two offshore subway vessels, 57 riverine patrol boats, seven fast patrol boats, six resurrection patrol boats, three,,, , as well as two capital ships, five transport helicopters, five logistics badges, 23 UAVs, among others.”
According to him, the indigenous shipbuilding effort is also progressing.
Various projects, he said, were initiated under his tenure, including accommodation, administration blocks, jetties, roads and drainages, as well as strategic reserve facilities.
These infrastructure enhancements, he said, improved Navy’s operational responses and readiness, as well as helping to sustain long term maritime security.
He said that several policy interventions were also initiated in order to reposition the Nigerian Navy towards achieving its statutory mandate.
“These include the establishment of a Special Operations Command and the Nigerian Navy Marines. The Nigerian Navy Marines is being trained and equipped to conduct special operations in the literal and land warfare under the coordination of the Special Operations Command.
“The first batch of the trainees are expected to graduate from the newly established Nigerian Navy Marine Training Centre in February 2026.
“In further recognition of the importance of training, we created a dedicated training branch from the SY training and Operations Branch to drive our efforts at generating the required manpower for the Navy.
“Equally worthy of mention is the decentralization of the Nigerian Navy administrative system.
Noting that personnel are the backbone of the service, he said that adequate priority was given to it under his tenure.
“Substantial steps were taken to initiate programs aimed at improving living conditions of our personnel, improving access to medical care and education as well as professional development of our personnel.
“We introduced family welfare and support programs reflecting holistic approach to personnel management. These initiatives were aimed at boosting moral retention as well as overall operational efficiency and effectiveness of the Nigerian Navy.”
