President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the plan to secure the country’s waters and the Gulf of Guinea through the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also known as the Deep Blue Project, was being achieved, and Nigerians and stakeholders in the entire region would soon feel the impact. President Buhari said this in his Independence Day speech to commemorate Nigeria’s 61th anniversary.
Buhari said “Earlier this year, I launched the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, the Deep Blue Project, which is designed to secure Nigerian waters up to the Gulf of Guinea. I am happy to inform Nigerians that we have taken delivery of key assets for this project and very soon, its impact will be felt,”. The Deep Blue Project is a security architecture by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, which is domiciled with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
On his part, the NIMASA Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, stated that the Agency was more committed to zero tolerance for insecurity in the country’s waters than ever before. Dr. Jamoh also disclosed that the Agency was engaged in continuous collaboration with critical stakeholders in the pursuit of its mandates. Meanwhile, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, has restated the commitment of the Nigerian Navy to the successful implementation of the Deep Blue Project, working with NIMASA. Gambo, who was represented by Rear Admiral Adaji, said this at an event in Lagos to commemorate the World Maritime Day.
