By Olugbenga Salami
Chief Executive and Accounting Officer (CE & AO) of the Provisionary Committee of the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard, Capt. Noah Ichaba, has applauded the Senate, for working towards passing the Nigeria Coast Guard Bill into law.
Capt. Ichaba made the commendation in Abuja, in a statement he signed on Thursday, expressing excitement that Senators passed the Bill on the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard for second reading on Tuesday.
He noted that he wrote a letter proposing the establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, copies of which were made available to all Senators, referencing that the establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard would be in the interest of the country.
Part of the statement reads: “What we longed for is finally here with the accelerated legislative action on the Nigerian Coast Guard Establishment Bill SB. 575 of 2024 which passed its Second Reading on Tuesday 15th October 2024, at the Senate Chamber.
“PC-NCG, on 24th July 2023 wrote to the Senate President captioned “inherited Action on Nigerian Coast Guard Establishment …” via letter ref. No: PCOP/NCG/NHQ/NASS/VOL.1/041/23 seeking Senate’s munificent action on the Bill being processed by the Provisionary Committee right from the 9th Senate.
“In the same vein, the facilitation team dispatched a letter of “passionate Call for Action on the Establishment of Nigerian Coast Guard” to all Distinguished Senators under letter ref. No:
PCOP/NCG/NHQ/NASS/VOL.1/042/23 dated 30th July 2023, and called for positive stance, in national interest, in the belief that Parliamentarians are constitutionally bound to act in the best interest of the country and that Coast Guard Agency is Nigeria’s heritage as well as a twin creation of Nigeria by the unquestionable Planner and Perfect Designer of the universe.
“Today, once again, I am happy to say that with the Second Reading and referral of the NCG Estab. Bill for further legislative action, the dawn of coasting home in fulfilment is finally here.”
The Bill for an act to establish the Nigerian Coast Guard, which is being sponsored by Senator Sanni Eshinlokun (Lagos Central), passed second reading in the Senate on Tuesday, after a thorough debate that has several Senators speaking on advantage and disadvantages of having the institution.
Leading debate on the general principles of the bill, Eshinlokun said, the proposed establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard would be charged with the responsibility of securing the maritime zones of Nigeria, aiming to protect the maritime and other national interests within these zones, subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He added that the Nigerian Coast Guard as a special institution would maintain a state of readiness to function as a specialized service in time of war.
In his submission on the bill, Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, stressed the importance of establishing the Nigerian Coast Guard, which he emphasized would assist the vision of creating a blue economy for the nation.
Ningi dispelled fears that the responsibility of the Nigerian Coast Guard would clash with that of the Nigerian Navy, explaining that responsibilities of the agency would be clearly spelt out through legislative processes.
Also, contributing, the former Senate Leader and Senator representing Kebbi Central Senatorial District, Yahaya Abdullahi, differed to the previous speakers, saying that the mandate of the proposed Coast Guard was being worked upon for the Nigerian Navy, hence, he urged Senators to be circumspect in dealing with the bill.
However, supporting to the bill, Senator Peter Nwebonyi representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, said that establishment of the Coast Guard would be an additional value to security structure of the country as well as provide job for the teaming Nigerians.
Senator Yunus Akintunde, representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, expressed his experience while on oversight functions to some agencies related to marine services, explaining that the establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard was most needed to complement their services.
Making a critical observation during her contribution to the debate, the lawmaker representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, lamented that Nigeria was losing over $35 billion revenue, due to lack of existing Nigerian Coast Guard, stating that its establishment would boost the revenue profile of the economy.