THE Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili has called for the enhancement of the Nigerian Navy to enable it effectively deal with the growing spate of hostage taking and vandalisation of the nation’s oil facilities in the Niger Delta.
Odili’s advice followed complaints by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye that the Navy is worried about the incessant attacks on some nation’s oil and gas facilities located in the waterways of the Niger Delta region by restive youths.
The governor who, spoke at the weekend, when Vice Admiral Adekeye visited him at the Government House, Port Harcourt, said that the threat militants and oil bunkerers pose to the nation’s oil facilities requires that the Navy’s capacity be urgently enhanced.
Odili, who observed that with over 90 per cent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings passing through the sea, there was need to empower those, who guard the waterways.
But he stressed that the Niger Delta needs more attention in terms of development and lauded the Navy for the way it has so far policed the creeks.
He explained that the Navy has been developing ways of containing the excesses of the restive youths, one of which is by establishing Forward Operational Base (FOB) at Bonny, Eguama, Escravos, Ibrakra and Igbokoda.
According to him, the Navy had embarked on intensive fleet repair exercise to validate and test its efforts in combat readiness.
He assured Nigerians that the Navy would continue to contribute positively to the development of Nigeria and Rivers State in particular, being the state that hosts majority of the Naval facilities.