The Nigerian Navy would on May 30 inaugurate its newly acquired three ships and two helicopters to reinforce and fight oil theft particularly in the Niger Delta.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, who disclosed this at the inter-denominational service that was held in Abuja as part of events to mark the 68th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy, added that the Navy was expecting five operational vessels from China and Turkey by the third quarter of the year.
Ogalla said the Navy was building and repairing ships locally, adding that this was crucial to the growth of the service and the nation’s blue economy.
He said, “Our local ship-building effort has become a cardinal point of my vision in the Nigerian Navy. This is because we realize that the only way we can grow as a navy is to make sure that we have local content in all our key areas of development.
“We recognize that shipbuilding and ship repairs will contribute effectively to the overall blue economy, which is one of the agenda of the president’s administration.”
He told the personnel in the maritime force to redouble their efforts to achieve more feats in the coming years.
“To this end, I urge every one of us to work hard to redouble our efforts to ensure that we achieve even more in the years ahead. Let us make sure that we have a navy that we will be proud of,” Ogalla added.
