Gulf of Guinea security: Buhari laments refusal of member-states to fund body

Agency reports,

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday lamented the refusal of most of the member-states of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, GGC, to redeem their annual assessed contribution, thereby hampering the effective functioning of the body.

Consequently, the President appealed to member-states to pay up, so the commission could meet its mandates, which primarily revolves around keeping the region safe from piracy, illegal arms and ammunition movement and other maritime-related forms of crime.

The President made the appeal at a virtual meeting of Heads of State and Government of Member States of the Commission, convened to review progress on efforts to deal with the maritime challenges in the region.

Recall that the Nigerian government had in the last few years, expended huge resources on keeping the hitherto notorious Gulf of Guinea region safer, an effort which has seen a hugely improved state of security in the region in the last one year.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, President Buhari said the inability of member-states to pay their assessment was threatening the continued existence of the commission.

He also called for urgent collective action against the dangers and threats affecting maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

President Buhari told the Summit that Nigeria considered the effective functioning of the GGC as strategic to the collective security interest in the Gulf region, particularly in addressing issues such as piracy, proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, protection of marine resources as well as irregular migration to the region.

He said: “As a demonstration of our firm commitment towards the repositioning of the GGC into a more vibrant organization that will effectively deliver on its mandate, Nigeria hosted the 4th Ordinary Summit of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, GGC, from 21st – 23rd November, 2017 in Abuja.”

Contribution by majority of the GGC Member-States to support the Commission’s operational budget has seriously affected the effective delivery of the organization’s mandate.

“Meanwhile, Nigeria has championed several efforts towards fighting maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea,’’ the President said, highlighting that in June, 2019, Nigeria’s National Assembly passed the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act, 2019, (POMO Act) which aims to prevent and suppress Piracy, Armed Robbery and any other unlawful acts against a ship.”

The President further pledged that Nigeria would continue to deploy significant resources towards tackling piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

“Through the Deep Blue Project in June 2021, the Government of Nigeria unveiled $195m worth of boats, vehicles and aircraft to spearhead the country’s fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

“The operational mechanisms in the Gulf of Guinea Region, as you know, are similar to those in some other regional organisations.

“For instance ECOWAS and ECCAS have adopted protocols on the security of their Maritime domains and also set up Regional Centers for Maritime Security respectfully.

“It is, therefore, imperative that the GGC adopts a collaborative strategy to engage partners and donors in creating awareness on the objectives of the organization, with a view to synergizing for more effective results towards fighting maritime insecurity in the GGC region.

“As Your Excellencies are aware, another challenge which confronted the organization in its fight against maritime insecurity in the region is the COVID – 19 Global Pandemic and its attendant negative impact on the activities of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, in 2020 and early 2021.

“What we need now is to work more than ever towards the revitalization of the organization by holding regular meetings and Summits of the Commission,” he added.

Buhari also congratulated Ambassador Florentina Ukonga, the Executive Secretary of the GGC, and her team for their hard work and commitment not only towards the organisation of this summit, but also in running the organization effectively.

President Nana Akuffo-Ado of Ghana emerged the new President at the end of the Summit.