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Tag: Ibok-Ete Ibas

  • Nigerian Navy hosts Prince of Wales in Lagos

    The Nigerian Navy hosted the Prince of Wales in Lagos on Wednesday in continuation of his three-day business and cultural tour of Nigeria.

    The News Agency of Nigeria  reports that the Prince of Wales, who arrived the Naval Dockyard in Victoria Island at 1:46 p.m., was received by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas.

    After being ceremonially received by the Naval chief, The Prince of Wales was taken on a tour around Lagos waters on the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) EKULU.

    The prince was piped on-board by the Commanding Officer NNS EKULU, Commander Andrew Zidon.

    Speaking with journalists after the departure of the prince, Ibas said that the visit was an encouragement for the navy.

    “The Nigerian Navy is an offshoot of the Royal Navy and he is also here to see by himself the progress being made with the cooperative support the royal navy has been giving Nigeria,” he said.

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    NAN reports that Prince Charles and his entourage had earlier arrived Lagos aboard a B737 aircraft with registration number CS-TFY, which landed at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport at 12.08 p.m.

    He was received by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Idiat Adebule, officials of the United Kingdom Consulate and security chiefs.

    The prince’s three-day business and cultural tour of Nigeria is also to mark the 75th Anniversary of the British Council in Nigeria.

    Charles had arrived Nigeria on Tuesday alongside his wife, Camilla and were received by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.

    The prince also met with notable traditional rulers as part of efforts to build peace in the Middle Belt and other parts of the country.

  • Navy pledges support to Niger on security

    The Nigerian Navy says it will assist the Niger Government in tackling transnational crimes in Shagunu community of Borgu Local Government Area of the state.

    Commodore Olu Bankole, the Command Operations Officer, who led a delegation to the state, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen shortly after he held a closed-door meeting with Gov. Abubakar Bello in Minna on Monday.

    Bankole said the assistance was based on the request of the governor to the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, to assist the state to provide security in the area due to its proximity to Kainji.

    He said that a Navy Secondary School would be established to add leverage to the people with interest to join the Nigerian Navy and serve as surveillance in the state.

    He said that the school would serve as an occasional base to provide security in the area, especially maritime security.

    “We are here based on the directives of the Chief of Naval Staff to have a look at the place and advise on how the Navy can start a base, particularly in Shagunu in Borgu.

    “Navy is keen on establishing a base in the area because there is need to provide security in the area,” he said.

    The command operations officer said the presence of maritime security in the area would improve social-economic activities and improve security as the area was a gateway to other three countries.

    He said that the school would commence as soon as infrastructure was developed and put in place.

    NAN

  • Navy decries low budgetary funding

    Navy decries low budgetary funding

    The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas yesterday said the Nigerian Navy is grossly underfunded budgets and that this is hampering the effectiveness of its operations.

    Ibas who spoke during the 2017 budget performance/ 2018 budget presentation session by the Abdussamad Dasuki – headed House of Representatives Committee on Navy added that the funding challenge had resulted in the Navy’s inability to meet certain operational milestones.

    He said the low funding pattern had endured for a very long while and needed to be changed in the Navy is to be more effective.

    His words: “It needs be said that the funding challenge is unavoidable under the regime of the Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB).

    “The appropriation which is drastically limited ab-initio by the ZBB, is seem to be further substantially progressively decreasing each year from the budgeted funds to the appropriated amount down to the final releases across both the capital and overhead votes.

    Often in some cases with less than 5 per cent of the budgeted amount only accessed. On account of such poor funding profile, the service is unhealthily deficient in practically all operational key enablers.

    It he Chief of Nabal Staff chronicled some of the areas badly affected saying certain milestones could not be achieved because of lack of funds adding that there had been difficulty in maintaining operational sustenance.

    “Several projections made the current ORBAT require huge outlay for the deployment of the requisite structures, and the absence of robust funding; it has been in impracticable to activate these projections.

    “Notwithstanding that the size of the fleet itself is too lean for the maritime expanse to be covered, its support is already impracticable with the meagre budgetary releases.

    “With the recent fleet expansion   following the induction of about 150 boats and 3 news ships by the close of 2016 and early last year, the logistics outlay has also increase substantially, making it extremely difficult for the Nigerian Navy to sustain its operations. 

    “The funding deficit experienced has also severely constrained the Nigerian Navy in its capacity to deliver the required training infrastructure, which would be necessary to meet the service manpower need in number and quality.’’

    He also noted that inadequate barrack accommodation and other welfare structures were major challenge to Nigerian Navy, even as the moderate growth in strength is unsupported by the very poor rate of accommodation and other welfare item delivery.

    Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, Chairman of the Committee, express the need to fund the Navy properly and decried the consistent dwindling allocation to the Nigerian Navy.

    Dasuki said because of the advancing security threats and scarce resources, it is time to re-evaluate the envelope system of budgeting as it concerns the Nigerian navy to make it more effective.

  • Navy discovers 30 new illegal refineries in Rivers

    Navy discovers 30 new illegal refineries in Rivers

    The Nigerian Navy says it has discovered 30 new illegal refineries with combined capacity to produce about four million litres of petroleum products daily.

    Capt. Victor Choji, the Executive Officer of the  Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt,  said this during the  destruction of one of the illegal refineries on Thursday.

    He said all the illegal refineries were discovered in Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers  with 40 huge metallic storage tanks .

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the storage tanks were filled  with petroleum products suspected to be diesel and crude oil.

    According to Choji, the discovery was  in continuation of the  current mop-up of illegal refineries and illicit bunkering of petroleum products by crude oil thieves.

    “The discovery was in compliance with the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas strategic directive to rid Rivers  of all forms of maritime illegalities.

    “Following this directive, troops started an onslaught and discovered the very heart of the production line and infrastructure of illegal bunkering at Iyalama community in Asari Toru LGA of Rivers.

    “The 30 refineries have capacity to refine between three to four million litres of diesel daily – which is quite massive.

    “The sizes of the illegal refineries show that the LGA is indeed the epicentre of illegal bunkering activities in the state,” he said.

    Choji said the navy had deployed a “Swamp Buggy” machine with intent to reduce the ability of operators of the illicit enterprises to revive the illegal refineries.

    He said the use of  the machine  was part of   the new strategy   which involves  complete crushing of metal tanks rather than setting both storage tanks and petroleum products ablaze.

    The new strategy, he said, was adopted following reports that burning of illegal refineries was partly responsible for the current air pollution in Port Harcourt.

    Choji, who said the navy was committed to protecting the environment and health of residents, gave an  assurance that it would carry out its mandate in line with global best practices.

    He said the activities of the oil thieves  had  affected the economic fortunes  of the country  and  polluted the environment.

    “There has been an outcry on sedimentation of sooth within the atmosphere and sometimes erroneously misconstrued to be from activities of the military against illegal bunkers.

    “However, the Nigerian navy has adopted the use of swamp buggy which at the moment is the most environmentally friendly approach to our fight against oil theft,” he said.

  • Over 2,000 intakes undergoing naval training – Naval chief

    Over 2,000 intakes undergoing naval training – Naval chief

    The Nigerian Navy says it is currently training over 2,000 new intakes to support other security agencies in internal security operations in the country.

    Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Rear Adm. Obi Ofodile, disclosed this while on familiarisation tour of navy training school in Onne, Rivers.

    Ofodile also said that the navy was currently upgrading its facilities and expanding its training programmes to meet with expected high intake into the service.

    According to him, the navy was not unmindful of the need for quality training for both new intakes and officers and ratings.

    “The Nigerian navy has been increasing its intake of new trainees but cannot just make significant increase overnight otherwise it would produce half-baked personnel.

    “The reason for curtailing number of new intakes is that the facilities have to be directly proportional to the number of intakes.

    “However, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas, is currently providing new facilities and improving existing ones to take care of the number that we want.

    “Also, new buildings equipped with state-of-the-art facilities are springing up aimed to improve personnel proficiency to perform their duties professionally and efficiently,” he said.

    Ofodile said that the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School (NNBTS); Nigerian Navy College (NNC) and the recently inaugurated Nigerian War College would drive its training programmes.

    He said aside infrastructure development the CNS was equally passionate to expanding its training programme for effective service delivery to the country.

    The naval chief said that paucity of funds had partly affected the desire of the navy to expand its training programmes to accommodate more personnel.

    “Just as the saying goes: if a person pays N10 for security, the individual will get N10 security – meaning that if an individual wants quality security then he or she has to pay for it.

    “It is in this vein that the CNS has been supporting NAVTRAC with means to maintain quality training and retraining of personnel in the navy,” he said.