INTRODUCTION
1. Nigeria is a maritime nation with a coast line of about 420 nautical miles (nm) and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200nm, which translates to an area of about 84000nm2 available to be explored and exploited. In this area lies abundant living resources like fish, which accounts for about 40 per cent of total animal protein in the diet of the average Nigerian and non-living resources such as oil, that accounts for about 95 per cent of Nigeria's foreign exchange earnings. Apart from these resources, there are several seaports and oil terminals which serve as gateway to the nation with the rest of the world. In addition is the large volume of shipping activities due to the nation's import oriented economy and commercial fishing fleet. The proposal by some entrepreneurs to site refineries in Lagos, Edo, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States in addition to the existing ones in this area will further increase the activities and interest in the Maritime Environment (ME). This underscores the economic importance of the ME to the nation.
2. The British Handbook (BR 1806) defines ME as the coastal sea areas and that portion of the land, which is susceptible to influence or support from the sea, generally recognized as the region which horizontally encompasses the land- water mass interface from 100km ashore to 200nm at sea, and extending vertically into space from the bottom of the ocean and from the land surface. This area is often referred to as the littoral. The increased interests and activities in this area most often leads to several unwholesome activities which threatens the unhindered harvesting of the resources in the area. Consequently this area needs to be secured and protected for the continuous harnessing of the resources for economic development.
3. The security and protection of economic interests in the ME world wide is the primary responsibility of navies or coastguards. According to JR Hill, 'the basic interests of all coastal states navies and other forces like coastguards charged with the responsibility of policing the waters of a nation is to attempt to further the basic interests of the coastal state, namely the extension of sovereignty, resource enjoyment in contiguous areas and the maintenance of good order'. The NN ensures the security of the ME in cooperation with other government agencies such as Immigration, Customs, Police, the Army, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Ports Authority. Admiral Adekeye asserted that the NN is the statutory, chief custodian of the defence and security of the nation's economic base as most of the resources that contribute immensely to the nation's economy are in the ME.
4 The NN role in protecting the economic base is a major contribution to the security and stability of Nigeria that translates into economic development of the nation. According to Welch 'economic development facilitates nation building and nation building facilitates development'. Thus there is a close relationship between development and nation building. The NN hence contributes directly to nation building by securing the ME and also complimenting other sectors of the society in nation building by using her excess capacity in manpower and resources for the economic development of the nation.
5. The meaning of nation building is quite confusing as most writers see nation building as an element of post conflict policy after military intervention in a country by external agents while others see nation building as the province of people within a nation. Vorster JM, identified '4 pillars for a successful and sustainable nation building which are economic development, political development, moral development and development in education and training'.
6. This paper views nation building as the process of achieving economic growth and development of a nation through the development of institutions, infrastructure, economy and social cohesion. The role of the NN in nation building would, therefore, be stated as the contributions of the NN to Nigeria's efforts in nation building. The NN contribution to the process of nation building in Nigeria is fraught with several challenges that need to be examined to bring about improvement. The purpose of this paper therefore, is to reappraise the role of the NN in the nation building process in Nigeria. This paper will be limited to the role of the NN in harnessing the economic resources in the ME towards nation building in Nigeria.
AIM
7. The aim of this paper is to discuss the role of the NN in nation building with a view to making recommendations.
SCOPE
8. This paper will cover:
Economic Interests in Nigeria's ME.
Threats to the Economic Interests in Nigeria's ME.
The Roles of the NN.
NN Contribution to Nation Building.
NN Constraints.
f. Strategies towards Enhancing NN Role in Nation Building.
ECONOMIC INTERESTS IN NIGERIA'S ME
9. The economic interest in Nigeria's ME are namely; natural resources, oil and gas installations, shipping and strategic national assets.
a. Natural Resources. The natural resources in Nigeria's ME include fish, hydrocarbons and minerals. The harvesting of fish would contribute greatly to the protein requirement of the population while that of hydrocarbons would provide employment opportunities. According to Billy Agha Director DPR, 'the national oil reserve is about 38. 61 billion barrels'. Hence new oil fields are discovered and developed almost every year because of huge reserve of oil in Nigeria's waters. Though the country is blessed with mineral resources such as nickel, manganese noodles and cobalt, the records of their exploration remain shrouded. Thus Nigeria still has a lot of untapped resources for future generations.
b. Oil and Gas Installations The exploration, exploitation and transportation of oil and gas have given rise to several external structures which include a conglomeration of pipelines, oil platforms, tank farms, oil rigs and terminals located in the ME. These structures are not only capital intensive to acquire but are used for the drilling, transportation, storage of oil for export and local consumption. The oil sector drives the nation's economy.
c. Shipping. The shipping industry is responsible for about 90 per cent of world trade. According to Ihenacho, shipping is a very important logistic service upon which, the smooth functioning of the Nigerian economy is clearly and firmly anchored. The ship traffic in major ports in Nigeria excluding tankers is estimated at an average of 3500 vessels per annum. The oil and gas activities had greatly contributed to increase in the activity of shipping in the nation's water in terms of coastal tankers, crew boats, house boats and supply boats. Usoro stated that "about 2 billion US dollars was realized from shipping activity within the companies operating in the oil industry in 2002". With the new Cabotage Act; more Nigerian flagged ships would be expected to take advantage of the business opportunities in shipping.
d. Strategic National Assets. The coastal states of Nigeria have several strategic national assets. The assets include the refineries, Calabar Export Processing Zone, about 10 crude oil loading terminals and seaports in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar. Others are Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) tank farm at Atlas Cove, several other private tank farms and dockyards for ship repairs. The seaports are not only gate way to the nation's economy they also serve as transit nodes for some neighbouring land locked countries like Niger and Chad.
10. The Nigerian economic survival depends to a great extent on the revenue derivable from the numerous resources and assets available in the ME. The effect of insecurity within the ME would negatively impact on the development of the nation. Hence it would be necessary to safe guard the resources and assets in this area against all forms of threats.
THREATS TO THE ECONOMIC INTERESTS IN NIGERIA'S ME
11. Threat represents anything that can undermine the security of the nation or anything that constitute danger to its survival. According to the National Defence Policy of Nigeria, threats to Nigeria's economic interest can be broadly classified into external and internal threats.
EXTERNAL THREATS
12. External threats to Nigeria could manifest in form of political and economic nature. They may arise from unresolved geo-political issues and her porous borders. Other sources of external threats could be spill over from local conflicts, civil strife and unrests in neighboring countries.
13. The ever increasing interest in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) especially with regards to oil could be a possible source of threat should Nigeria initiate a foreign policy that negatively affect the economic interest of some powerful / developed countries. Additionally, threats could exit where Nigeria's influence in the GoG is likely to reduce the sphere of influence of the developed countries in the area. Most external threats do not however pose immediate challenge to the nation's economic well being and thus to nation building.
INTERNAL THREATS
14. Internal threat to Nigeria's economic interest in the ME includes political and communal conflicts, smuggling, piracy and sea robbery, poaching and marine pollution. Others are maritime terrorism, crude oil theft/illegal bunkering, and pipeline vandalism and sabotage.
a. Political / Communal Conflicts. Several conflicts have been traced to issue emanating from political differences caused by creation of political units like wards, local government areas and states. These conflicts often results in the disruption of economic activities and destruction of lives and property. The NN in military aid to civil power is often engaged in providing security thereby creating a stable environment for economic activities to thrive in these communities. There are several naval ratings deployed at Jos as part of the military contingent due to the last crisis. The NN's stabilizing role through aid to civil authority is thus contributing to nation building.
b. Smuggling. Smuggling is the act of taking or bringing people or goods secretly and illegally from one geographic area to another, thereby evading payment of authorized duties and or levies. Smuggling could lead to reduction in the patronage of domestic goods resulting in the failure of local industries and consequent loss of employment opportunities. Smuggling is encouraged by the inability to effectively police the criss- crossing creeks in the ME. The act of smuggling is inimical to the economy and security of the nation as it results in loss of revenue to the government and insecurity in the ME.
c. Piracy and Sea Robbery. The IMO defines piracy as any illegal act of violence or detention, or any act of deprivation, committed for private ends by the crews or passengers of a private ship or private aircraft and directed on the high seas against another ship or against persons or property on board such ship. Sea robbery on the other hand is the commission of these acts in a port or terminal. The incidences of piracy and sea robbery have been going unabated as every other day reports are received with regards to such attacks in Nigeria's water. Such attacks have the potential of giving Nigeria a negative image in the international community that could impact negatively on the flow of foreign investment into the country. It also contributes to the increase in premium for ships visiting Nigerian seaports, thus adding to the cost of doing business in Nigeria. Piracy and sea robbery tend to concentrate in areas of heavy commercial maritime activity. They often occur where there is low law enforcement capacity. According to Nigerian Trawlers Owners Association (NITOA) there was more than 100 pirates attack on trawlers in 2007. The effect of piracy attacks was so grievous on the fishing industries as over 50 per cent of about 250 trawlers registered in Nigeria in 2003/2004 with over 40 fishing companies are no longer in business. The act of piracy has impacted on the job opportunities and thus negatively affecting the economic growth and development of the nation
d. Poaching. Poaching is the act of fishing in a nation's waters without permission or license. To many littorals West African countries including Nigeria fish represents a substantial part of their protein need and source of foreign exchange. Consequently, the incidences of poaching by foreign unlicenced fishing vessels have resulted not only in reduced catches by local artisan and trawlers but loss of revenue to Nigeria from landed catches. Individual economies are therefore negatively affected with the consequent effect on the economy of the nation.
e. Marine Pollution. Marine pollution is the discharge or dumping of toxic or hazardous waste in the maritime environment. Oil spill is almost a regular occurrence in the ME as a result of activities of both the downstream and upstream of the oil sector. Oil is often spilled in the upstream sector during exploration and exploitation activities while in the downstream it is during various transfers/discharges. Unlike most countries, safety measures such as the use of booms to trap oil at discharge points or during bunkering operations are not observed or enforced in Nigeria. Pollution not only results in loss of fishery resources, it degrades the ecosystem and requires huge resources that would have been channeled towards nation building to remedy the effects.
f. Maritime Terrorism/Transnational Crimes. Maritime terrorism is the use of threat or violent action in the ME against persons, installations and shipping in other to achieve political or socio-economic aims or to force a government to act in accordance with terrorists' demands. The actions of restive youths in the Niger Delta to some extent, before amnesty was granted, were considered as acts of maritime terrorism which posed operational challenge to the Armed forces of Nigeria and the NN in particular. The effect of sustained restive youth activities or actions was negative to the national economic growth as most companies were not willing to continue their operation in the area. Even an unsuccessful attack on oil installation could be of great propaganda significance to the attackers.
g. Crude oil theft/Illegal Bunkering. Illegal bunkering refers to the transfer of fuels and other petroleum products between vessels, from vessels to storage facilities and vice versa without following the prescribed procedure or guidelines of the government. In the case of crude oil theft, perpetrators steal crude oil from crude oil pipelines and facilities that transverse the various rivers and creeks. At the peak of the Niger Delta crisis, Nigeria lost an estimated 70,000 – 300000 bbls per day of oil to theft amounting to $4.69 - $20.10 million US dollars at $67 US per barrel. The NN efforts to reduce these vices to the barest minimum through patrols, and aerial surveillance led to the arrest of over 150 vessels and barges. The activities of the restive youth was beginning to have effect on the revenue of governments in the oil producing states and hence stifling development in those states before the amnesty.
h. Pipeline Vandalism and Sabotage. The remote locations of most oil installations in the creeks and derivable compensation from spills has increased the spate of pipeline vandalism and sabotage. The earnings arising from compensation from oil spillage and siphoning of oil from the pipeline have encouraged the destruction of pipelines and flow stations. According to Barkindo 'the FG lost N174 bn as production and repair loss due to pipeline vandalism in the last 10 years. This money could have been used for other developmental needs in support of nation building efforts of the FG.
15. The threats from internal sources are not only numerous but have immediate and readily visible effect on the national economy and development. Consequently, the threat from these sources needs to be continually evaluated to allow for appropriate effective proactive response by the NN in line with her roles.
THE ROLES OF THE NN
16. The roles of the NN are stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Law of the Federation of Nigeria and the National Defence Policy (NDP). These instruments charged the NN in particular with the following responsibilities:
a. Enforcing and assisting in co-coordinating the enforcement of all custom laws, including anti-bunkering, fishery and immigration laws of Nigeria at sea.
b. Enforcing and assisting in co-coordinating the enforcement of national and international maritime laws ascribed or acceded to by Nigeria.
c. Making of charts and co-coordinating all national and hydrographic surveys
d. Promoting, coordinating and enforcing safety regulations in the territorial waters and the EEZ of Nigeria.
e. Any other duties that will be assigned to her by an act of the national assembly.
It is pertinent to note that these responsibilities are in accordance with the 3 identified functions of navies by Ken Booth, mainly military, diplomatic and policing roles. Booth asserted that the very essence of navies is their military character. The diplomatic role is concerned with the management of foreign policy short of actual employment of force. The policing role is internally as much as externally oriented though rarely concerned with armed forces of other states rather with extending sovereignty over the state's own maritime frontiers. The aims of the policing role are coastguard responsibilities and nation building. The policy objectives of the coastguard responsibilities include sovereignty, resource enjoyment and maintenance of good order, while that of nation building is concerned with the contribution to internal stability and development. Booth observed that these functions could be performed by navies in cooperation with other governmental agencies however, in developing countries this is the sole responsibility of the navy.
17. In Nigeria the policing of the ME towards ensuring that operations in the area are not disrupted, remains the responsibility of the NN. The effective policing of the nation's waters will curb illegalities and ensure a safer operating environment for the harnessing of the resources in the ME. The role of the NN in securing the ME is very critical to the economy and stability of the country, thus assisting in nation building.
NN CONTRIBUTION TO NATION BUILDING
18. The contribution of the NN towards nation building include employment opportunities, security of the ME, manpower development and technical support. Others are national integration, host community development and humanitarian services.
PROVISION OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
19. The NN depends on people to man and operate the various complex systems in her inventory. This implies that the NN has to, as the need arises employ qualified Nigerians with varying educational background to meet the manpower requirements at all times. Currently, the NN has over 11000 personnel on her staff list. The obvious attractiveness of career opportunities and the current rate of high unemployment in the society has made entry into the NN highly competitive. For instance in the 2010 DSSC recruitment, over 1000 graduates applied to be considered for about 100 available billets in the NN. The NN as a matter of policy, has a regular intake of specific personnel annually to take care of attrition in the system. Hence every year the NN takes a particular number of Nigerian youth off the labour market.
20. Provision of employment is one of the most visible and remarkable contribution of the NN to the national economy. This is considered a huge contribution to national development as those employed are paid salaries and allowances, thus economically empowering them and contributing to nation building.
SECURITY OF THE ME
21. The overwhelming importance of security to nation building was captured by President Yar'Adua in his 7 point agenda when he observed that 'an unfriendly security climate precludes both external and internal investment into the nation. Thus security will be seen as not only a constitutional requirement but also as a necessary nfrastructure for the development of modern Nigerian economy'. This underscore the importance of securing the assets in the ME that contributes greatly to the economy of the nation, which are scattered along the whole coastal area of the nation. By their dispositions they are exposed to the identified internal threats in the ME. The NN ensures the security of these resources through static deployment for fixed and immobile structures, escort of mobile structures, surveillance and regular patrols by vessels.
22. The ME is been protected through regular patrols of the area by ships to reduce the unwholesome activities that are inimical to the economic growth of the nation. It is important to note that since the arrival of the cat class ships in 2003, the NN had been able to maintain constant presence at sea. The NN also maintains regular surveillance by helicopter patrols and the use of the facilities at the Regional Maritime Aware Capability Centre (RMACC) in Lagos and Bonny with total coverage of most part of the ME. The RMACC collate real time information of activities of ships in Nigeria's ME. However, due to logistics challenges with regard to inadequate platforms the information so gathered is not been adequately utilized for now. The utilisation of the information from these centres will assist in the reduction of the nefarious activities in the ME.
23. In her efforts to ensure peace and stability which are essential factors for sustainable economic activities, the NN committed enormous human and material resources. The NN sustained presence at sea despite all odds has in no small measure contributed to the security of the ME, thereby impacting on the revenue earnings of the country from the oil and gas industry.
MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT
24. The NN contributes to nation building in the aspect of manpower development through the release of trained manpower and human capacity building.
a. Trained Manpower. Personnel are separated from the NN service every year either voluntarily or otherwise. Most of these personnel are often well trained in fields that are sort for in the maritime industry. These retired personnel are most time employed without any further training because of the training and most especially the discipline they have imbibed in the cause of their career in the NN. Personnel retired from the NN are employed as engineers, seamen and even security co-ordinators. Almost all the major players in the oil and gas industry have retired naval personnel in their employment. Totalelf Nigeria for instance has over 25 retired naval officers from the rank of lieutenant commander to captain in her employment. Most of the ex- Servicemen often take up jobs that would have been assigned to expatriate. It is possible that some of the expatriates employed in the maritime sector could have interest conflicting with Nigeria's aspirations. Thus the NN is assisting in nation building through reduction of the nation's dependence on external labour in the sensitive and strategic sectors of the economy.
b. Human Capacity Building. The NN has long been involved in developing human capacity for the maritime industry and the national economy through training of Nigerians in some of her institutions. In the late 80s the Navy had an apprenticeship programme where technicians were trained to serve as a ready feeding stock to her dockyard and shipyard. Though this programme has long been discontinued those trained during the programme were not all absorbed; hence they have long found employment in relevance sectors of the economy and contributing to the nation's economy. Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and other oil companies have also trained some of their personnel in NBCD and fire fighting at Nigerian Navy Engineering College, Sapele. The College had also trained 150 technicians from Zamfara, Bauchi and Adamawa States. There are also recent efforts by SPDC to contract the NN to train some categories of divers and run underwater rescue programmes. Hopefully if this arrangement goes through, it will help in building the capacity of some Nigerians. The modest contribution of the NN in area of specialised training for players in the oil and gas industry is done at a cheaper cost when compared with private companies.
25. The employment of retired NN personnel is not only saving the nation scare foreign exchange that would have been used to engage expatriates it also enhances the security of the nation. The NN expertise in technical training has assisted in no small measure as cheap source of human capacity building towards nation building in Nigeria.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
26. The NN have been supporting the main stay of the nation's economy through utilisation of excess capacity in ship repairs, construction of oil and gas installations and construction of barges and tug boats.
a. Ship Repairs. The NN Shipyard Port Harcourt and Dockyard are not meant for the exclusive use of the NN. Thus ships and craft operating in the maritime industry of Nigeria and some neighbouring countries use the NN facilities for the docking and repairs of their vessels. The utilization of these facilities by private organisations assists in no small measure in ensuring the availability of these vessels in the industry. These NN facilities have assisted in sustaining the Nigerian shipping industry and at the same time conserve foreign exchange for the nation.
b. Construction of Oil and Gas Installations. The NN, through the NND partnership with Dormanlong have been involved in the construction of oil platforms and facilities. Though the NN was not directly involved in the constructions, some Dockyard staff took active part in the constructions. The construction of the oil platforms in the Dockyard had saved the nation some foreign exchange, were it to have been constructed outside Nigeria. The benefits of Dormanlong constructing oil platform in the NN Dockyard include employment opportunities, technological transfer, capacity building and national pride. It has also created avenue for the NN to generate revenue for the nation.
c. Construction of Tug Boats and Barges. Over the years the NN Shipyard in Port-Harcourt have used her excess capacity to construct ferries, barges, tug boats and house boats for oil companies like SPDC, Daewo and Agip. The Shipyard constructed a ferry SUAKA LAFIA for the NN. The construction of the tugs and barges will obviously increase the revenue base of the Shipyard, increase human capacity and saved huge foreign exchange that could have been used to acquire such facilities from outside the country. In a similar vein the construction of a warship was initiated in the Dockyard. Though the programme was put on hold there is the need to revisit the programme and see to its' completion as there exist the prospects of saving foreign exchange for the nation should the project be successful. Thus the efficient use of the NN Dockyard and Shipyard facilities in support of the maritime transportation business is a veritable contribution to the nation's economy.
27. The repair and construction works undertaken by both the NN Shipyard and Dockyard have obviously increased the sustainability of the NN fleet and supported the maritime industry. The efficient use of the NN support facilities in aid of the operators in the maritime industry have saved the nation huge foreign exchange that could have been used to obtain such services outside the country. The technical support provided by the NN through human capacity building, saving of foreign exchange and technological transfer contributes greatly to nation building.
NATIONAL INTEGRATION
28. During intakes into the NN, personnel are selected based on quota system to ensure that all the states of the Federation are represented. These personnel are trained and given the required orientation to see themselves as naval personnel and not where they individually come from. Personnel deployment does not take cognisance of their state of origin, rather on the requirement of the Service. By this arrangement, Nigerians in the employment of the NN are deployed to any part of the country and live in ethnically mixed environment thereby fostering social cohesion and hence national integration
29. There are few organisations in the country where the principle of federal character is rigidly observed during recruitment process like is obtainable in the NN. Thus the NN, by her recruitment and deployment principle, makes significant contribution to the process of nation building through national integration.
HOST COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
30. The NN, as a corporate organisation provides accommodation for her staff in all the states where there are naval establishments. In most of these states, the NN establishes hospitals, primary and secondary schools, shopping complex and recreational facilities.
31. The use of NN facilities is not restricted to naval personnel only thus the host communities are major beneficiaries to the facilities provided by the NN for her personnel. For instance, the NN welfare schools admission policy is 70 per cent and 30 per cent for personnel and non personnel respectively. The NN hospitals are also open to the host communities. For the recreational facilities, it is like saying the obvious that some of them are even more utilised by non personnel than the personnel. This is not due to a deliberate policy by the NN but because of their location. The sports ground in Mobil Road Barracks, the golf courses in Lagos and Port Harcourt and the sailing club in Navy Town all lay credence to this fact.
32. The location of naval establishments and barracks in an area contributes to the development of the host communities in terms of provision of infrastructure and other public services. The NN, therefore, contributes to nation building through the developmental projects resulting from the location of her establishments.
HUMANITARIAN SERVICES
33. One other important area the NN is expected to and has continued to play a significant role in nation building is through humanitarian services such as Search and Rescue (SAR), disaster relief operations and civil military relation.
34. Almost every year, the NN conducts medical rhapsody where free medical service are provided to selected communities. Some of the people that enjoyed these free facilities ordinarily could not afford such medical care. Further to this, The NN serves as both lead and support agency to disaster management in Nigeria; hence some NN establishments are earmarked as disaster response units in the national disaster response plan. The NN is also involved in SAR in the ME. It is on record that the NN played major role in the search of C-130 crash at Ejigbo in 1992, ADC crash in Ekpe and the Bellview crash in 2005. The NN provision of succour to selected communities through free health care delivery, disaster relief operations and SAR are important contributions to nation building.
NN CONSTRAINTS
35. The NN efforts in nation building are limited by lack of platforms, training deficiencies, pecuniary interest and lack of established jurisdiction.
LACK OF PLATFORMS
36. Most of the ships currently in the NN inventory were commissioned into the Service in the early 80s. With no regular refit or upgrades, they are in various states of disrepair, thus reducing their availability for deployment. Coupled with this is the insufficient number of vessels, as well as the ever increasing requirement and challenges of securing the nation's ME and assets. The development of oil fields in deep waters like Bonga, Agbami and the joint venture fields in the Joint Development Zone (JDZ) between Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe in the GoG has further increased the demand for NN platform. With the JDZ the NN is saddled with more area to police as the other member of the venture obviously do not have the capability to police the area.
37. Another problem that is manifestly clear with regards to inadequate vessel is the type of craft. As a result of the changing threats in the ME, the NN need to acquire vessels that will operate conveniently within the nation's rivers and creeks. This will ensure that the NN effectively perform her policing role, which requires, her assisting the Customs, Immigration and NIMASA in the enforcement of maritime laws ascribed to by the Nation.
TRAINING DEFICIENCIES
38. Ordinarily the training given to NN personnel on entry into the Service is reasonably adequate for basic deployment. However, with the multi roles of enforcement and assistance to other agencies in the ME there exist deficiencies in the current training curricular.
39. A properly articulated training will ensure that personnel are assigned responsibility they are adequately prepared to execute. This calls for incorporation of training workshops/seminars on specialised technical fields, aspects of maritime law, marine insurance, pollution control and other relevant subjects that will equip NN personnel to efficiently fulfil her roles. The unprofessional conduct of the NN personnel due to lack of knowledge and skill could result in litigation. Consequently such assistance instead of contributing to the development of the nation could lead to loss of revenue and put both the Navy and the nation in bad light before the international community.
40. The NN need to train and retrain continually both operationally and technically. This will ensure that personnel are conversant with and have the relevant skills to provide the necessary assistance required by other agencies and at the same time have the right manpower to effectively man and maintain the sophisticated assets
that would be entering the Service from time to time. Such specialised training is also necessary to enable the NN have the right manpower to man her support facilities that will impact on her efficiency and availability of vessels. The NN needs to reappraise her training objectives to meet with the expected challenges.
PECUNIARY INTEREST
41. The limited presence of NN platforms at sea to protect the resources therein has led to businessmen cashing in on the opportunity. As a way of ameliorating the NN shortcoming, private companies have provided dedicated security boats in naval colours to protect some designated oil and gas installations of some companies operating in the maritime sector.
42. The security companies employ the services of NN personnel to man and operate the boats. There are over 12 of such vessels operating in the Niger Delta region. The operations of these boats seem to have increased the presence of the NN in policing the ME. The issue is why employ private security companies when the same resources could have been used to acquire boats for the NN. While the security company's effort appears harmless on face value, it is a clear demonstration of lack of national interest by both the security companies and the oil companies employing their services. But for pecuniary interest, the affected oil companies could have purchased and donated such assets to the NN as is commonly observed with the Nigeria Police.
43. Though the use of private security vessels is assisting to stem the tide of unwholesome acts in the maritime environment however, it has indirectly exposed the lapses in the ability, capability and the willingness of the NN and the nation to secure the ME. National security is a function that is always left for government except in circumstances of extreme anarchy that private enterprises can participate as players.
LACK OF ESTABLISHED JURISDICTION
44. The maritime sector is very attractive due to the huge business opportunities and the possible under currents. This has increased the need for most agencies with the least capability to show undeserved interest in activities in the sector.
45. Due to the seemingly attractiveness of the ME of Nigeria, new entrants are trying to make incursion every other day into maritime security calculations. Consequently, the sector is crowded with several government agencies, resulting often in inter agency rivalry. Just recently there was a televised programme on the NTA by the commandant of a Merchant Academy at Abeokuta in Ogun State purportedly set up to train merchant navy officers to assist in providing security in the ME. Another example is the Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS) which is a standing committee with the possibility of metamorphosing into a maritime security agency as it is yet to complete its' job after more than 3 years of setting up the committee. There is also another possible new entrant 'Maritime Security Coordination Agency' into the maritime security calculations whose establishment bill has passed the third reading.
46. The presence of several government agencies in the security calculations in the ME brings to fore the need for an appropriate legislation to clearly spell out the area of responsibilities and jurisdiction between the various government agencies operating in the ME. For the purpose of reducing possible areas of conflicts and assigning responsibility to agencies, the ME could be divided into Offshore Security Area (OSA), Inland Waterways and Backwaters Security Area (IWBSA) and Ports Security Area (PSA). The principal government agencies charged with security of the ME are the NN and the Police. The responsibility for security of OSA, IWBSA and PSA will be NN, Police/NN and Police respectively. The clear designation of area of responsibility to be secured by the Police and the NN will reduce any rivalry and conflicts resulting in better co-operation and efficiency.
STRATEGIES TOWARDS ENHANCING NN ROLE IN NATION BUILDING
47. Efforts to enhance the NN role in nation building will involve maritime domain awareness, improved NN funding, improved NN
Funding, re-evaluation of NN roles and inter- agency cooperation.
MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS
48. Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) has to do with the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could infringe on the security, safety, economy or environment of any state. Despite the Nation's dependence on the resources in the ME for her economic survival, there is still a general lack of understanding of the need to pay adequate interest to developments in the area. This lack of understanding and interest in maritime domain has resulted in inappropriate actions by the Nation to properly monitor and safe guard the area.
49. A major objective of MDA is the identification of anomalies from established trends and patterns that will enable the appropriate authority take the right action before security is compromised. An important aspect of MDA is the quick information sharing between agencies operating in the environment to aid effective decision making. The status report of vessels in the Lagos Roadstead at night is revealing. However, due to lack of operational platforms the information is not been fully ultilized to help curb illegal activities in Nigerian waters. As the information is real time, it would have been appropriate if the NN have the required platforms to respond promptly to information provided by the centre to immediately curb the illegal acts that are inimical to the nation's economy. It is also necessary that the real time information provided by the centre is made available to the bases and forward operating bases to act upon.
50. No agency has the capability or capacity to achieve MDA unilaterally hence a concerted efforts of all interest groups that operate in the area is required to achieve a meaningful or responsive MDA objective. The result of the development of capabilities, capacity and co-operation of operators in the maritime domain will better the enforcement of maritime regulations resulting in containment of illegal and illicit activities. This will naturally reduce wastages and free resources for the development of the nation.
IMPROVED NN FUNDING
51. The allocation of resources tor military forces is strongly influenced by a nation's perception of the threats to its security and economic well being. As Nigeria's economy is heavily dependent on resources in the ME, threats to that environment could be seen as threat to the very existence of the Nation. Thus the NN, which is charged with the seaward defence of Nigeria, needed to be adequately funded to enable her acquire the right equipment to effectively and efficiently combat threats in the environment.
52. Admiral Jonah observed that the defence allocation for Nigeria has been about 0.8 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as against 1.5 – 3.0 percent of GDP which is in line with both the NDP and the recommended globally practice. There is an unusual gap between what should ideally be given annually to sustain the NN and what is available. This wide gap between the means and ends, he asserted creates a risk factor that could adversely affect the NN performs of her role in ensuring a secured and safe environment for the harnessing of the economic resources towards nation building. Hence, the need to increase the funding of the NN to meet the current security challenges in the ME, so as to improve the economy of the nation.
RE –EVALUATION OF NN ROLES
53. The NN, seem not to give particular attention to some of her roles, especially those concerned with securing the territorial waters through coastal patrols against activities like smuggling. This is particularly so when most of the threats that appear inimical to the national economy emanates from the inability of the NN in performing anti bunkering and anti-smuggling roles. It is pertinent to observed that the inability of the NN to effectively secure the Nation's ME had led to the call for the establishment of alternative agencies such as the coastguard and port security forces right from the early 80s.
54. Imobighe is of the view that the NN saw its' role from the perspective of such big navies like the US and UK who have global role and could, therefore, not be bothered by coastal patrol duties. He stated that Nigeria's economic and technological base cannot support the establishment of a separate service such as a coastguard. The NN should rather be a utilitarian navy equipped and empowered to respond to the peculiar security problems along the country's coast in co-operation with other government agencies such as the Police and NIMASA.
55. I share Imobighe's views because the main challenge to the NN remains tackling the threats facing the economic survival of the nation in the ME. The re-evaluation of the coastguard responsibilities as identified by Ken Booth could bring about more robust strategies to counter the current and future threats to the ME. This will enable the NN develop realistic approach to vessel acquisition, adaptive in her training, and more purposeful in the discharge of her responsibility. The NN must therefore, develop the capability to address the threats to survival of the national economy in order to remain relevant in the security equation of Nigeria.
INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION
56. Developments in the study of MDA highlighted the fact that no single agency in a country has the capability and capacity to safeguard the ME. This is because the environment is massive with diverse activities. Thus, the cooperation of government agencies and other interested parties in the security of the environment is a matter of necessity.
57. The NN has been cooperating with most players in the maritime industries in other to enhance her contribution to the security and safety of operators in the maritime industry. Through cooperation with the NNPC, some vessels were acquired for the NN in the 1980s to improve the security of the ME. A recent significant cooperation is the establishment of the Maritime Guard Command between the NN and NIMASA through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 12 April 2007 for establishment of a standing NIMASA/ Navy Committee on Maritime Law Enforcement. By the MOU the 2 agencies, agree to work together, for the efficient and safe administration of Nigeria's maritime domain, including but not limited to the enforcement of maritime laws at sea, cabotage, search and rescue and training. More of such close cooperation would be necessary for a better security of the nation's ME.
58. Cooperation between operators in the ME is desirable as it will help to enhance the security and safety of the environment through synergy of capabilities and capacities thus contributing to government efforts in nation building. With close cooperation between the NN and the major players in the maritime industry it is possible to float a maritime security fund to assist the NN in the acquisition of platforms to enable her perform her role more effectively. It is however necessary to study the remote effects of such cooperation as it applies to the roles and corporate image of the NN.
CONCLUSION
59. The Nigeria's economic survival depends to a great extent on the revenue derivable from economic activities in the ME. Hence the need to safe guard the ME from all forms of threats. It is, however, observed that most external threats do not pose immediate and frequent challenges to the nation's economic well being as much as those from internal sources which are not only numerous but have immediate and visible effect on the national economy and development. Consequently, the NN needs to conduct regular estimate of the internal threats in the ME to enable her ensure effective proactive response.
60. The role of the NN in securing the ME is very critical to the economic, stability of the country and thus assisting in nation building. The NN contributes to the national economy and nation building through provision of employment and sustained presence at sea despite all odds thereby impacting on the revenue earnings of the country from oil and gas industry for the development of the country.
61. Another area in which the NN positively contributes to nation building is through the provision of skilled retired NN personnel to the maritime industry and technical training support to players in the maritime industry. In addition to this is the support the NN provides to the maritime industry through the utilization of the excess capacities of the NN Shipyard and Dockyard, which have saved the nation huge foreign exchange through repairs and constructions of barges and vessels. The contributions of NN to nation building also include human capacity building, technological transfer, host community development and humanitarian services.
62. In her contribution to the nation building the NN is faced with some constraints, such as lack of platforms and training deficiencies which limits her policing role. The NN needs to develop and update both operational and technical skills to enable her assist other agencies while still retaining the capacity to man her various platforms and support facilities. Furthermore, the presence of several government agencies in the security calculations of the ME calls for the need for an appropriate legislation to clearly spell out the area of responsibilities and jurisdiction for the various government agencies. This will reduce rivalry and conflicts thus resulting in better cooperation towards nation building.
63. Enhancing NN role in nation building will require collective interest in MDA. A credible MDA will naturally increase businesses activities in the ME, thereby boosting the national economy for nation building. The paper observed a relatively low funding of the Navy when compared to recommendation of the NNDP. Increased funding would improve the NN ability in meeting the current and future security challenges in the ME towards achieving national development.
64. The re-evaluation of the NN roles could bring about a more pragmatic approach to combating current and future threats in the ME. The NN urgently needs to develop the capability to address the threats affecting the survival of the national economy in order to remain relevant in the security equation of Nigeria. While doing this, the NN needs to cooperate with major operators in the maritime industry towards the setting of up maritime trust fund that would assist in the acquisition of patrol boats for the NN. However, it is necessary to study the remote effects of such cooperation on the roles and corporate image of the NN in the long run.
RECOMMENDATIONS
66. It is recommended that the NN should:
a. Positively ensure constant presence in the ME.
b. Update training objectives to meet her multi roles.
c. Lobby for the establishment of a maritime trust fund.
.
T DICK
May 10 Captain
CO LANA
BIBILIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
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OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
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UNPUBLISHED WORKS
11. Vice Admiral GT Adekeye (CNS) Brief for Senate Committee on NN, Abuja 2007.
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JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES
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ELECTRONIC MEDIA
20. Stephenson, Carolyn . "Nation Building." Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: January 2005. http://www.beyondintractability. org/essay/nationbuilding/ accessed 18 may 2010
Economic growth relates mostly to things whereas development relates to man.
Growth refers to quantitative increase or expansion; development emphasizes qualitative, incremental improvements and benefits PNC Okigbo
