By Philip Nwosu
The British government and the Nigerian government have taken steps to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries and also built capacity that would tighten the security at the gulf of guinea.
The British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stated this during a tour of the Nigerian Warship the NNS Unity at the Naval Dockyard in Lagos.
Johnson said most of the oil that the United Kingdom use come from Nigeria, hence the decision by the UK to strengthen the Nigerian Navy to fight piracy to a standstill.
He said the United Kingdom would do more to assist the Navy tackle piracy at sea, adding that the Nigerian Navy have been doing a lot to fight piracy. He said efforts should be intensified to ensure that the oil from Nigeria get to the UK safely.
While receiving the UK foreign secretary at the Naval Dockyard, the Chief of Training and Operations of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai said the relationship between Nigerian and the United Kingdom predated Nigeria’s independence, revealing that the UK had been helping the Nigerian Navy in building capacity.
Admiral Bobai who was accompanied by the Flag Officers Commanding Western Naval Command, Naval Training Command and Logistics Command Rear Admiral Sylvanus Abbah, Obi Ofodile and Ibe Onwo, respectively, said the visit to the Naval Dockyard was a testimony to the bilateral relations between the UK and Nigeria.
He said the Navy has been receiving various forms of military assistance from the UK pointing out that the British Military Advisory Training team (BMAT) had been training Nigerian Navy personnel as some of the training deals with the UK military.
The visit by the British Foreign Secretary, he noted, was anchored on training. He added that the British training team onboard NNS Unity would be taking Nigerian Navy personnel on techniques of fighting fire onboard a warship
The Navy’s Chief of Training and Operations said the Navy and the UK military also discussed excess defence articles adding that soon Nigeria would be acquiring some military helicopters and equipment that would be useful to country’s military.