Navy, NIMASA Renew Five-Year Pact to Strengthen Maritime Security
The Nigerian Navy (NN) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have renewed their strategic partnership through a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening maritime safety and security across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The agreement was signed at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja in the presence of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola; Principal Staff Officers and senior officials of both organisations.
According to a statement signed by Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho for the Chief of the Naval Staff, the renewed MoU consolidates a partnership that began in 2007 and has been sustained through successive renewals.
The Navy said the agreement would align the complementary mandates, capabilities and expertise of both institutions to improve coordination, strengthen operational alignment and deliver measurable maritime safety and security outcomes.
Speaking before the signing, the DG/CEO of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, described the renewal as a reaffirmation of the shared commitment of both organisations to the security, safety, sustainability and prosperity of Nigeria’s maritime domain and Blue Economy.
Mobereola noted that Nigeria’s economic wellbeing was closely connected to the sea, stressing that securing the nation’s maritime space remained a national imperative.
He acknowledged the Nigerian Navy as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s maritime security architecture and recognised its operational support to NIMASA in the discharge of the Agency’s statutory responsibilities.
Similarly, the CNS, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, described the renewed MoU as an important milestone in an enduring relationship founded on decades of cooperation and shared national interests.
Abbas expressed confidence in the leadership of NIMASA and the progress being recorded by the Agency, while reaffirming the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to sustained collaboration for improved national outcomes.
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He pledged the Navy’s operational support towards the effective discharge of NIMASA’s mandate over the next five years, emphasising that sustained inter-agency cooperation remained indispensable to securing Nigeria’s maritime space and advancing the national interest.
Under the renewed framework, the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA will deepen cooperation in maritime safety and security, marine pollution control, search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, intelligence and information sharing, hydrography, training and professional capacity development.
The areas of cooperation are expected to enhance maritime domain awareness, strengthen coordinated responses to incidents at sea and support the safety of ships, crew, cargo, passengers and navigation within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The MoU also establishes a stronger institutional framework for timely intelligence and information exchange, appropriate utilisation of relevant facilities and capabilities, as well as cooperation in other areas of mutual interest.
To ensure accountability and sustained delivery, implementation of the agreement will be subjected to regular institutional review, while both organisations will jointly convene an annual Maritime Safety and Security Conference.
According to the Navy, the mechanisms will provide opportunities to assess progress, address emerging challenges and refine joint priorities to ensure that the partnership continues to produce practical and measurable outcomes.
For the Nigerian Navy, securing Nigeria’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone remains fundamental to protecting lives and property, safeguarding legitimate maritime activities, preserving national security and creating an enabling environment for the sustainable development of the Blue Economy.
The Navy said it would continue to work with NIMASA, sister Services and other security agencies to protect Nigeria’s maritime interests and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Navy reaffirmed its resolve to advance a safer, more secure and prosperous maritime environment for Nigeria and the wider Gulf of Guinea.
By PRNigeria
