In a strategic move to strengthen maritime security and combat smuggling, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is intensifying collaboration with the Nigerian Navy. The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, visited the Naval Dockyard in Lagos on Thursday, November 16, 2023, expressing the intent to tap into the Navy’s expertise for the maintenance of the NCS fleet of vessels.
During the visit, CGC Adeniyi commended the Nigerian Navy’s capacity and knowledge, stating, “We don’t need to establish a vessel maintenance unit; it’s capital intensive, but we have an agency of government that has the knowledge, that has the capacity, and there’s the willingness for them to assist us.”
Highlighting the potential collaboration, he emphasized the need to fortify the NCS’s presence in Nigeria’s coastal waters to minimize smuggling activities. CGC Adeniyi asserted, “If we block the land borders effectively and do not maintain a very strong presence on our territorial waters, smugglers will take advantage, so we also need to fortify and enhance our presence to checkmate those who may want to try smuggling through our waters.”
In response, Rear Admiral Abolaji Orederu, MD/CEO of Naval Dockyard Ltd., affirmed the Naval Dockyard’s capabilities in vessel maintenance, repairs, and shipbuilding. “Naval dockyards are well poised to take advantage of situations like this, and we see the Nigeria Customs Service as a powerful ally of the Nigerian Navy,” he stated. Orederu further expressed the capacity of the Naval Dockyard to support other agencies, the larger maritime community, and the global shipping industry.
