[size=14pt]Frigate in Gulf of Guinea Acting as 'Fourth French Base in Africa'[/size]
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In the dark night, dozens of wells spit out orange flames. It is the only visible light on the black-ink sea in this part of the Gulf of Guinea, south of Nigeria, which is one of the largest offshore oilfields in the world.  Darkness also reigns supreme onboard Latouche-Treville. The French frigate is patrolling in silence. For this night of June, the battleship has set itself a 200 square kilometers area of operations off Port Harcourt [city in Nigeria]. The area is bristling with traps: abandoned drilling sites, secondary and main platforms connected by oil pipelines as a cobweb stretching over thousands of kilometers. The wells of the French oil group Total look like large coins on the national Navy's maps.
Latouche-Treville has "some informal contacts" with the French companies in the area, but the ship wants to sail without reporting: it remains deaf to the calls of foreigners who ask her to identify herself. "Every man for himself is the rule here," the officer of the deck said. The oil platforms violate international waters laws, by establishing around themselves a security perimeter protected by private companies of 20 Km, instead of the authorized 500 meters. "Guards are very nervous, there is great insecurity," the officer added.
In these hot waters, where the wealth of Africa travels through, ghosts wander: armored speedboats of private armies circulate with their lights off; pirate vessels with destroyed identification systems; illegal fishermen, traffickers in gas, weapons, drugs, and human beings. Off West Africa, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has counted 966 boats targeted in 2012, and 70 attacks have taken place since the beginning of 2013 in the Gulf.
The latest attack that affected the French was on 13 June. Oil tanker MT Adour was attacked off Togo, before being taken into Nigerian waters. The assailants, some 10 men armed with machine guns, were unable to siphon dry the tanks, which were empty. So, they turned to the engine fuel, but they also took the captain hostage, who was immediately released on ground, and his second in command, who was released on Tuesday 18 [June] in Nigeria, while the Latouche-Treville escorted the tanker.
The Gulf of Guinea is one of the priorities for the French defense, which has deployed there a surveillance mission called "Corymbe." For the first time, since the beginning of April a top level frigate is stationed there. Corymbe was launched in 1990 and was conceived in order to occasionally support ground operations. But since 1996, the Navy has been constantly patrolling this area, where there is growing insecurity, with the support of an Atlantique 2 aircraft based in Dakar.
Though the matter is not presented thus, this ship constitutes the fourth French base in Africa, along with the ones in Dakar, Libreville, and Djibouti. France has major interests in the area. There are 1,500 businesses and 90,000 expats in the Sub-Saharan West, the majority in the cities on the Gulf of Guinea, said Mathieu Le Hunsec, author of a book on the national navy in Africa. From here comes one quarter of the national oil supply. The ports of the region are also points of support for intervening in the Sahel. From Cotonou [Benin capital] departs the uranium extracted by Areva [French nuclear energy company] in Niger. The logistics for the army in the Central African Republic go through Douala. The army supports its operations in Mali from Dakar.
Intelligence, military cooperation with neighboring countries: the mission covers a very large seafront, from Senegal to Congo. "It is a matter of keeping things at a level of violence that is more or less under control, not letting a situation in the region degenerate without us being aware of it," said Captain Xavier de Vericourt. The Corymbe ship will be the first one able to evacuate expats in the event of a crisis.
The Latouche-Treville carries the equipment of a commando group that could be released at sea and then return to it. The electoral deadlines in the region are a barometer for the army staff. Currently, Nigeria's and Cameroon's weaknesses are being closely watched.
Piracy, which extends toward the Cote d'Ivoire, is becoming more violent. Its nature is changing, and is shifting from pure economic depredation to hostage-taking. Proof of this was the attack that targeted Arethuse, a French offshore service boat of the Bourbon company, in the night between 4-5 June. "The pirates were looking for expats," said the captain of the Latouche-Treville. Two 20-meter speedboats, a dozen armed men "in uniform," who were very organized. The expats had the time to lock themselves up inside a strong room. Some Nigerian sailors who did not have the time of barricading themselves were eventually left free. After leaving empty-handed, the assailants attacked on route two other boats, the C-Viking and the Miss-Kayla. The frigate found the two pirate boats 5 km away, adrift together, with all their lights off. Their names were carefully recorded.
A "voluntary naval control" has been introduced in the Gulf of Guinea, managed by the Navy from Brest: the ship of the Corymbe operation contacts all the ships flying a French flag, or the ships "of interest" that make their presence known. The militarization of the area seems inevitable. "If the sea is not controlled, if no presence is assured, one will see people sneaking in," the captain of the Latouche-Treville noted.
Since 2006, the US defense has been developing an aide project for local navies within the framework of the Africa Partnership Station program. The United States gives patrol boats to all the countries in the region. France caries out similar [as published] training operations, in particular in Equatorial Guinea, where it has opened a naval school. With the help of other partners -- Israel, China, Russia ?? the countries of the Gulf of Guinea are trying to set up their own national navy .
The awareness of such a need is a recent matter. In February 2009, the Equatorial Guinea presidential palace in Malabo, the capital on Bioko Island, which is off Cameroon, was attacked from the sea. Attacks motivated by financial gain have targeted in the same manner banks in Douala (Cameroon) and supermarkets in Port-Gentil (Gabon). Pirates, mafia groups and rebel political groups are intertwined.
In March 2010, a Total site was attacked for the first time by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. "Militias appear and disappear, but they are always operating," said Captain Joel Manga, who boarded the Latouche-Treville on 9 June with officers from Cameroon for an exercitation onboard. "Mainly, we have a problem with illegal fishery in territorial waters," he noted, "but we also concentrate our efforts north, in order to prevent the threats coming from Nigeria, including Boko Haram, from spreading."
A regional military station command has been set up in Douala, where the captain of the Boulingui vessel, a Gabonese officer, hailed the first "positive results" off Cameroun. "The sea is no longer empty, but we only have three ships, and we need to cast our nets wider. Maritime cooperation will be on the agenda of the summit of Central and Western Africa's heads of state in Yaounde, on 24 and 25 June.
Senegal, Liberia, Cape Verde, Guinea-Conakry, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana. . . The Latouche-Treville has made some 15 stops in four months of mission. They serve as a test. If the program is fulfilled, if the sailors work well together, it means that the country is holding firm.
The ocean surge would have eaten into Victoria Island, Kuramo and Goshen Estate if the Great Wall of Lagos had not been constructed. Thankfully, the Governor has stated that the wall will be extended to protect Lekki Beach and environs.
solomon111: I thought this was an ECOWAS-CENTRAL AFRICA exercise. Why are the french involved?
The report states that they are seeking assistance from the US, UK and France. What's indicated there is financial assistance, but who knows, they might have privately requested for more than just financial assistance.
I guess this answers the question that was asked on the Ogun thread yesterday. More power for Agbara, Ikeja, Ilupeju, etc.
I'll also like to see investment in alternative sources of power. For example, is it possible to use the Great Wall of Lagos to harness wave power from the Atlantic to generate electricity? This will reduce dependence on natural gas.
livethinme: Thats got more to do with the Nigerian justice system as a whole which is worse than bad, however this does not mean that killing someone is not illegal.
Hear yourself for a second. You are saying who cares when a group of people strip someone and then senselessly beats them + spits on them (potentially killing them)?
And you will probably go to church on Sunday singing about love LOL man some African Christians are indeed funny..
CAMEROONPRIDE is an African Traditional Religionist (Bwiti).
deocakes: sendin d destitutes back to deir states is nt d solutn to d problem bt all states sud tak them off d streets n cater 4 dem, gve thm smething to do, dat who fetch dem moni to feed themselves
That's already being done, but some of them choose to return to their families. Those are the ones that are returned.
Check this thread to see what's being done to enable them feed themselves.
Mustay: GEJ celebrates Anenih at 80, commiserates with Pa Fasola's death at 80 - different strokes. Make the best use of your time. A lot said Pa Fash "j'eun omo" before he died. Yorubas like prayer - "a ma j'eun omo o"
Btw, I like GEJ's outfit. Looks better than the wore to Ibadan during '11 campaign.
@naptu2 That means BRF cut short his umrah to attend his father's death
[size=14pt]Jonathan pays condolence visit to Fashola[/size]
on August 08, 2013 at 12:20 am in News
By OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO
President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, paid a condolence visit to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, over the death of his father, Pa Ademola Fashola.
Pa Fashola, 80, died Monday after a brief illness.
Jonathan was was accompanied by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ministers of Petroleum, Information, Trade and Investment Sports and Chairman of National Sports Commission, NSC, Mr. Muhammed Adoke; Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, Mr. Labaran Maku, Mr. Olusegun Aganga and Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, respectively.
The Chief Imam of Abuja, Central Mosque, Alhaji Musa Muhammed, who was in the presidential team, led the prayer session at the State House, Marina, during the short visit.
From left: Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs; Mr. Labaran Maku, Minister of Information; Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, Minister of Petroleum Resources; Dr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Trade and Investment; Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, Minister of Justice; President Jonathan; Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; Dame Abimbola Fashola and Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Minister of Sports; during President Jonathan’s condolence visit to Governor Fashola at the Lagos House, Marina, Wednesday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.
Speaking, President Jonathan described the death of Pa Fashola, as very sad, saying, “I know that this is the period that we need his presence, most especially, as a parent that will assist one in handling a number of responsibilities. That was why I told my Chief of Staff that we must pay a visit to the Governor, his wife and the entire family.
“It is a sad event for you (Fashola) to have lost your father at this point. But we must also thank God for the life that he had lived. We were indeed happy that your father though he had left us at a very painful moment, he also lived a fulfilled life.
“He lived to maturity. But most especially, he had been able to replace himself tenfold before departing. You (Fashola) and your siblings are still with us. So many people didn’t have the opportunity of replacing themselves before they departing this world.”
Also, former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mallam Nasru-el-Rufai, paid a condolence visit to Fashola
….More messages
Meanwhile, a member of the National Assembly, Alhaji Yakubu Balogun and former Deputy-Governor of the state, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, yesterday, commiserated with the governor over the death of his father .
Sosan, in a statement, said “Even though he gave up at the age of 80, his demise is painful as we have lost a true, honest, steadfast, committed and highly dependable elderstatesman whose contributions to the growth of modern Lagos through strong support and advice, is legendary.
“Pa Fashola even at that age was a man no one would want to lose, especially at a time like this.
“I therefore, on behalf of myself and my family send our condolences to Governor Babtunde Raji Fashola on this great loss, while we pray that the Almighty Allah would give both the immediate and extended families and Lagosians the fortitude to bear the loss.”
She urged the governor and former boss, “who I was privileged to work with in life to, please, take solace in the fact that Papa had lived a fulfilled life and should not allow his demise to demoralise him from delivering democratic dividends to the people of the state.”
On his part, Balogun said, “Pa Fashola was a great man who spoke the truth at all times, with fear of God as his watchword.”
Balogun, who represents Lagos Island Federal Constituency II in the House of Representatives, said Pa Fashola would be greatly missed by all.
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Don Etiebet, in a condolence message, said: “May the soul of Pa Ademola Fashola rest in perfect peace and while we mourn the loss of the pillar of strength and the foundation of achievements and focus of His Excellency, we pray that Almighty God will give him the grace to withstand the irreparable loss with fortitude.”
South African music isn't horrible. Although I really really REALLY hate kwaito (it's not funky or creative and they all sound alike), I know that they've still got great music and bands like Freshly Ground.
Does anybody remember a group of US based Nigerians, from the 1980s, made up of two guys and a girl. They wore army, air force and navy uniforms in their video.
Politics › Re: French Illegal Incursion Into Nigerian Territorial Waters by naptu2: 12:48pm On Aug 09, 2013
because i no see him name for list but him face they show there why 
