Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, says Seabourne trade drives 85 percent of Nigeria’s trade.
Vice Admiral Ogalla highlighted the significance of the nation’s underwater resources at the 14th Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium in Venice, Italy.
A statement from the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, said the Navy Chief presented a paper titled “Preserving the Underwater — the Secure and Sustainable Use of the Underwater.”
He underscored the African Integrated Maritime Strategy that recognized the underwater's crucial role in advancing Africa’s Blue Economy.
Ogalla said various aquatic species and substantial non-living natural resources, including 36 billion barrels of crude oil and 182 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, drive over 85 percent of Nigeria’s trade volume.
He added that Nigeria’s maritime area of interest encompassed internal waters, territorial sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone, and the Gulf of Guinea.
“The Nigerian Navy’s participation in the symposium showcased its progress in eradicating piracy in Nigerian waters since 2022 and its removal from the International Maritime Bureau’s list of Piracy Prone States.”
The Nigerian naval chief met with other heads of navies, including the American Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and the Director of the International Hydrographic Organisation, Mr John Nyberg.
Ogalla also had separate bilateral discussions with the Chief of the Italian Navy, Adm. Enrico Credendino, and the American Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Franchetti.
They discussed their enduring partnership and how U.S. Navy ships visit. They also discussed how collaboration demonstrates a shared commitment to regional security and stability.
They further analyzed how more opportunities to increase maritime cooperation and counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea could be facilitated.
Franchetti thanked Vice Adm. Ogalla for Nigeria’s leadership in promoting maritime cooperation during exercises such as the OBANGAME Express.
