16 August 2007
Lagos — The Nigerian Navy is to cooperate with its Equatorial Guinea counterpart to jointly patrol the Gulf of Guinea.
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye, announced this yesterday in Abuja, while receiving Equatorial Guinea's military delegation led by Minister for Defence, Lt.-GeneralAnthonio Ndong.
Other areas of possible cooperation, according to Adekeye, are sharing of maritime information, training assistance and ship repair and upgrade.
"We will be able to exchange vital information and I will be very happy if you will send two ships for us to form a joint patrol in the Gulf," Adekeye said.
"As neighbours, we will benefit more, considering the presence of crude oil in the area. "I believe our bilateral relations and security of the Gulf of Guinea will be enhanced," the CNS said.
Deputy Director of Policy and Plans, Naval Headquarters, Navy Captain Abiodun Onireti, had earlier briefed the delegation on three major areas of consideration between the two countries.
They are the role and organisation of the naval headquarters, maintenance strategy of Gulf of Guinea and enhancement of existing bilateral relations .
Earlier, Ndong said exchange of information between the two navy would enhance security of the Gulf, adding that his country was committed to having marine cooperation with Nigeria and bilateral cooperation between defence advisers of the two countries.
"We are in Nigeria to discuss in detail, areas of possible cooperation between our two countries," he said.
The team is expected to visit naval establishments in Delta, Port Harcourt and Lagos.
NAN recalls that the two countriessigned bilateral agreement on jointoil exploration on April 3, 2002.
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