In keeping with the statutory mandate of the Nigerian Navy in ensuring safety and security of the nation’s waterways, the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, Pathfinder, on Thursday, in conjunction with the Rivers State Government and other emergency responder agencies conducted a search and rescue simulation exercise in Rivers State.
The exercise was conducted at the Naval Shipyard Limited, Port Harcourt in collaboration with 10 other agencies including the Nigerian Airforce, NSCDC, Police, NEMA, NIMASA, NIWA, NPA, EFCC, amongst others.
Commander of the Operation Delta Safe, OPDS, South South, Rear Admiral John Okeke in his remark said the aim of the exercise was to assess and validate the readiness of navy and the collaborating agencies to respond to emergencies within the Rivers and Nigerian Maritime domain, enhance safety on the waterways and boost passengers confidence in water transportation.
Okeke said the event which serves as as a moral booster to the disaster response units of all emergency responder agencies, including the police and the EFCC, marks another miles stone for the Nigerian Navy in honour of the NNS Pathfinder.
He said the exercise was conducted to also prepare the agencies for more effective and efficiency in rescue operations in the nation’s maritime domain.
He said, “Today’s event was also aimed at creating awareness in our minds and to all emergency response agencies and other stakeholders to be prepared at all time to respond to emergencies at the shortest notice. As a taskforce Commander, I noticed that many of us are lackadaisical in our job, even when you call a responder he would want to show reluctance. But I want to let us know that for us to rescue people, we need to sacrifice. If you don’t have the mind to sacrifice, you won’t achieve anything.”
He stressed the need for more collaboration between all agencies in achieving security and protection of lives and properties on the Nigerian water ways. “I want to use this opportunity to plead that we should be collaborative in nature. We must work as a team, because if we don’t, we will rarely achieve anything. No organisation is better than anyone. Let us support the lead agency being the NEMA.”
Earlier in his address, the Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, said the exercises was a directive from the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
Igbo said apart from protecting Nigeria’s maritime domain from both the external and internal threats, the Nigerian Navy was poised to save lives at sea.
He commended the Rivers State Government and the Chief of Naval Staff for their support in the conduct of the exercise.
“This event is occasioned by the increased rate of boat mishaps and number of casualties recorded in Nigeria’s maritime domain including Rivers State
in recent times. Accordingly, the Nigerian Navy in keeping with its constitutional mandate of ensuring safety and security of the nation’s maritime environment mobilized other relevant maritime stakeholders to emplace a SAR procedure in order to curb this trend.
“The SAR SIMEX is aimed at exercising the Nigerian Navy and other relevant maritime agencies in Emergency SAR operations to effectively conduct SAR operations in the maritime environment with a view to encouraging the Rivers State Government to reactivate its Emergency SAR team.
“The exercise was necessitated by the need for the Nigerian Navy to save lives at sea, apart from protecting the maritime environment including oil and gas assets, we also have the mandate to protect lives and properties, that is why the CNS mandated us to simulate this exercise with other security agencies.
“The point is that we must protect lives, in collaboration with other stakeholders including the Rivers State Government. We already have our Naval boats and ships in the creeks, in case of any emergency.”
Also speaking, the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara commended the NNS Pathfinder for organizing the event and hailed the military, the police and other collaborating agencies for their sacrifices to ensure the safety of the people.
Governor Fubara, represented by the Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, hinted of plans to revitalize the State Emergency Management, and promised to always partner with the Navy and other security agencies in the state.
The governor who noted that the exercise speaks volume of the importance of interagency collaboration in ensuring safety and protection of lives in the waterways, also recalled the heroic act of a Rivers indigene, Joe Blankson, who lost his life after rescuing 14 persons during a boat mishap along Bakana river in 2018.
“We must commend the Nigerian Navy for putting the simulation exercise together, and to let us know that we all have a part to play in ensuring a holistic approach for safety and security on our waterways.”
For his part, the Police Commissioner in Rivers State, Olatunji Disu, who described the marine Police as one of the most important agencies in water operations, assured of readiness to collaborate with other agencies in carrying out rescue operations within the state’s waterways
Meanwhile, the Port Harcourt Area Manager, of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Surv. Bernard Ekawu, said NIWA remains passionate about safety on the waterways, and has already established search and rescue centres across all area offices.
“The Authority is poised to ensuring that there is safety on our waterways, however, it needs an interagency collaboration. There is emphasis from the Authority on adherence to safety protocol.
“We don’t allow sailing at night, boat overloading, rickety boats, and moving without life jackets. So all stakeholders on the waterways must adhere to safety protocol.”
The South South Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Adebiyi Razaq, represented by Zonal Secretary, Ochoche Samson Ochepo, and representative of NIMASA, Aaron Daniels in their submission said the agencies are always security and safety conscious and were already carrying out advocacy and sensitization to reduce disasters on the waterways.
