Yola — President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday said that his administration is mindful of the needs of the Nigeria Navy to reposition itself to effectively provide security in the Niger Delta, the Gulf of Guinea and the entire maritime environment so that Nigeria could meet the emerging regional and global challenges.

The president, who was represented at the opening ceremony of the third annual Chief of Naval Staff conference in Yola , the Adamawa state , capital, by the Minister of State for Defence , Mrs Fidelia Akuabata- Njeze, said it was in realisation of this that the government had taken measures to strengthen the service.

This, he said, is being done by acquiring some equipment to enhance its operational efficiency in addition to plans to increase the personnel strength of the navy.

He stated that history has revealed a nexus between possession of credible sea power and economic prosperity, since optimum utilisation of maritime resources must of necessity be predicated on a versatile and professional naval force. He stressed that Nigeria relies greatly on maritime resources for her economic survival and development.

"The reality of our comtemporary political economy is that without maritime security, our aspiration for meaningful development will be affected, " he stressed.

President Yar'Adua, commended the armed forces for collectively conducting and discharging their duties with the highest sense of responsibility as an instrument of state power, national stability , and a bulwark of democratic governance.

Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ishaya Iko Ibrahim, said the navy is confronted by a myriad of challenges, ranging from the Niger Delta unrest , to the demands of various operations as consequences of Nigeria's dominant position in West Africa and the role the Nigerian navy is expected to play, given the rising global strategic stature of the geo-political fortunes of the Gulf of Guinea.

Admiral Ibrahim, said the conference , with the theme, "optimizing Nigerian Navy operational efficiency through functional welfare services", is to build on the achievements and strengths of the past , address the current weaknesses, exploit existing opportunities and confront any threat decisively.