By Stephen Ubanna
With barely two months to the International Maritime Organisation, IMO Council election, into the 45-member, categories A, B and C, Seat, in London, United Kingdom, UK, Headquarters of the United Nation, UN’s, maritime agency and Arsenio Domineguez, the agency Secretary General visit to Nigeria, Stehane Oseo, an Army Colonel and Defense Attache at the French Embassy had made a similar working visit.
The French Army Colonel, and Defense Attache at the European Union, EU, member country, Embassy, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, who had led Naval officers from 20 countries across the world including the North American country of the United States , US , and the U K, were said to have been on the Siren Course onboard MV OLHD TONNERRE, had visited the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Administration , NIMASA, Head office in Victoria Island, Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve centre to rub minds and knowledge sharing on maritime security .
The Naval officers may have come to see things themselves in a country where Dominguez, the IMO, Chief had confirmed the claims of Adegboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun state and now minister of marine and blue economy that there had been zero piracy incidents over the last three years.
The Imo Secretary General remarks that Nigerian Government investments in maritime Safety infrastructure and NIMASA collaboration with the nation’s other security agencies, particular, the Nigerian Navy, under the close watch of Emmanuel Ogalla, a Vice Admiral, that have yielded results in combating piracy and maritime crimes in the Niger Delta region and the Lagos water including the Gulf of Guinea, may have encouraged the Foreign Naval personnel to visit Nigeria.
Colonel Oseo, whose country, France, had once relied on the free mining and export of gold from the Alliance Sahel States of Burkina Faso, Mali and Uranium, from neighbouring Niger, may have embarked on the two-day working visit along side other Naval officers from 20 other countries across the world, to Nigeria for a knowledge sharing engagement aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation as the European countries are already feeling the pinch of France being kicked out from the Sahel countries, forcing other countries like Senegal and TChad to follow suit.
The French Army Colonel, who could not hide his feelings had said that the visit of the Naval officers from 20 countries across the world to Nigeria was basically to deepen understanding of how maritime Administrations operate within the framework of the Yaounde Architecture for Maritime Safety and Security in the West and Central African subregions.
There I no gain saying the fact that over the last three years or thereabout, the French marine and port sector had exhibited robust diversification, encompassing container handling, bulk cargo logistics, cruise tourism, and specialized maritime services aimed at facilitating intra-European trade and transatlantic routes.
Note that the urge for France and other European countries, particular, to recover from the economic shock of France being kicked out from the Sahel region, by the Junta Leaders, from the region, and France expanding port services and boosting regional economic output, may have informed why the EU, countries, are reaching out toother maritime nation nations that had made appreciable security impacts in their country’s maritime domain.
Given that Nigeria had made strategic investments in maritime security infrastructure which are yielding results may have made it a place of visit by the naval officers from 20 countries across the world, mostly from Europe, as France plans more strategic investments in infrastructure modernization, digitisation, and smart solutions.
The Naval officers from the 20 countries across the world, an informed source told the Value News online Magazine were desperate to know more how NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy, collaboration prepared the ground for Market players to leverage alliances with logistics providers and further adopt innovative technologies and cargo tracking and automated handling systems to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction at the nation’s seaports, with little or no harassment from pirates.
Colonel Oseo, may have left no one in doubt that they have learnt something very instructive and worthy of replicating in their respective home countries. He had described the collaboration between the NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy as ‘’a model partnership worthy of study because of its effectiveness in enhancing security coordination in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.
The French Defense Attache in Nigeria, had confirmed that the 40 Naval personnel, drawn from 40 countries across the world, had been onboard the MV OLHD TONNERRE, since September 1st, 2025, sailing from one maritime nation to the other, before making a port call in Lagos for two days.
The 40 Naval officers from the 20 different countries drawn from Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Australia, may have seen the seen the visit to Nigeria as very fulfilling as they were said to have engaged with the NIMASA Deep Blue Project officials overseeing the country’s US $195 million maritime security assets comprising of 16 Coastal Patrol Vessel, 17 Interception Boats, Two Special Mission Vessela, Two Special Mission Aircrafts for surveillance of Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ, three helicopters and four Unmanned Aerial vehicles, on strategies for maritime domain awareness and inter-agency coordination’’. The 40 Naval personnel from 20 different countries across the world who were said to have taken advantage of being in Nigeria visit the NIMASA controlled and operated Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, RMRCC, where they were properly briefed on the country’s operational procedures for maritime search and rescue coordination when the need arises.
Dayo Mobereola, the NIMASA, Director General, who was said to have been represented Heaky Dimowo, Director Marine Environment Management, in receiving the Foreign Naval officers at the MMRCC, had reaffirmed ‘’the agency’s commitment to sustained regional collaboration for improved maritime safety and security across the Gulf of Guinea.
The NIMASA Director, of Marine Environment Management Department may have alluded to the recent attack on MT ENDO POTENTE vessel off Lome, Togo waters, which was said to have encouraged NIMASA Special Mission Vessel, DB, Lagos, operated by the Nigeria Navy under the Deep Blue Project , to be deployed to the scene following confirmation from the NIMASA C4i centre in Kirikiri, Lagos, the nation’s commercial neve cetre to rescue the vessel from the attempted attack by the pirates.
