The Nigerian Navy and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to produce locally, ships meant for maritime security.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony held at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Auwal Gambo, said the NASENI team had visited the Naval Dockyard in Lagos to refine the Nigerian Navy’s local shipbuilding, construction and fabrications.
He said the indigenous shipbuilding effort had enhanced the presence of the Nigerian navy at sea which led to significant reduction of piracy.
Gambo said that the efforts had culminated into the delisting of Nigeria from the international list of piracy-prone countries in the world.
“This has ultimately reduced high insurance premium (known as war risk premium), which is usually factored into shipping cost due to the prevalence of piracy incidences”, he said.
The naval chief commended NASENI’s tremendous efforts, which according to him is changing the dynamics of engineering as well as facilitating research and development initiatives in the country and beyond.
In his remarks, the Executive Vice Chairman, NASENI, Mohammad Haruna, said the MoU would save foreign exchange and produce what was needed locally to enhance national security.
“Our collaboration will save Nigeria foreign exchange and improve local manufacturing.
“I visited the naval dockyard in Lagos and saw the creativity of the Nigerian Navy, I sought our presence there which was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
Haruna commended the Navy for its creativity and ingenuity in developing local capacity, saying the MoU would provide tangible results for Nigeria.
He said the Navy’s stride at its Dockyard in Lagos would ease the collaboration in terms of research, fabrication of spare parts and ship building.
The Chief of Policy and Plans (Navy), Rear Adm. Suleiman Garba, said the MoU was a milestone in the joint technology revolution in Nigeria.
