The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral, Ibok-Ete Ibas, said shortage of ships and inadequate funding has hampered its efforts to secure Nigeria’s maritime domain from activities of economic saboteurs.

Ibas made this known on Tuesday when he received members of the Senate Committee on Nigeria Navy at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja.

Ibas' revelation is coming months after a report claimed that the Federal government had deployed five warships, 100 gunboats and fighter jets to the creeks.

He explained that the present number and mix of platforms in the Nigeria Navy inventory is grossly inadequate to effectively cover the vast maritime environment and support sister Services during joint operations.

He added that many old navy capital ships are not operational and require a lot of resources to maintain and the deployment of the few operational ones is also becoming financially challenging.

He listed the challenges facing the navy to also include; limited maritime domain awareness capability, inadequate and dilapidated jetties, dilapidated logistics support facilities, weak hydrographic survey capability, shortage of barracks accommodation and inadequate funding.

Ibas explained that the challenges have persisted because of inadequate funding of the Nigeria Navy over the years, noting that the trend indicates that while the proposed over head is increasing annually, the amounts appropriated and released are decreasing.

He said: “This has impinged on Nigeria Navy’s ability to optimally maintain her fleet for sustained presence at sea among others,” adding that, the same situation applies for capital expenditure.

“Such that the Nigeria Navy ability to acquire adequate platforms and other hardware necessary to optimally police Nigeria’s maritime environment has been severely restricted,” he said.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Isah Misau said efforts are being made to ensure the Navy is assisted through enhanced budgetary provisions, pointing out that only the sum of N25, 646,409,841 was appropriated as capital expenditure in the 2016 budget for the Navy.

He also said the meager sum of N3, 479,967,632 were appropriated as overhead expenditure, noting that: “We are aware that the provisions are inadequate to enable you perform your duties satisfactorily.”

Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/-lack-of-equipment-funding-hampering-war-against-niger-delta-militancy/156130.html#h8wiG4dPCM3RPrE5.99

Chai nawa o

The NDA is not Boko haram, military solution would only exacerbate a volatile region the more.

lolz....


Another arms scandal loading starring Burutai

wetin concern me sef.

meanwhile Nokia has started making bullets.

you go fear nah

Kk na

Nah this useless army and navy them dey hope to keep their petroluem republic together?