Navy, Lawmakers, CSOs Oppose Nigerian Coast Guard Bill

The proposed bill to establish the Nigerian Coast Guard has faced widespread opposition from the Nigerian Navy, lawmakers, and a coalition of civil society organisations, CSOs.

During a public hearing on Thursday at the National Assembly Library, stakeholders voiced strong objections, urging the Senate to abandon the legislation.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Wasiu Eshilokun (APC, Lagos), seeks to create a Nigerian Coast Guard as a military service branch under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

Originally slated for November 7, the hearing was rescheduled due to the death of the Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja.

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Chief of Training and Operations, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, representing the Chief of Naval Staff, argued against the proposal, citing duplicity of functions, security risks, and economic constraints.

Ferreira stated that global examples favour integrated maritime security frameworks over standalone Coast Guard entities.

“The United Kingdom does not have a Coast Guard with military powers similar to those being proposed in this bill. Rather, the Royal Navy is responsible for military defence and maritime security operations, including facial protection, and this is quoted from the House of Commons briefing paper of 2020,” he stated.

He warned that creating a separate Coast Guard would strain Nigeria’s limited resources and lead to redundant operations.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, criticised the financial implications of the proposal, noting Nigeria’s reliance on borrowed funds.

“It is imprudent to take loans to establish a new agency when existing structures can be strengthened,” Oshiomhole stated.

He also questioned the logic of placing military service under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy rather than the Ministry of Defence.

“So why do we need the Armed Forces to be controlled by the blue economy to become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense?” Oshiomhole asked rhetorically.

Philip Agbese, deputy spokesman of the House of Representatives, echoed similar sentiments, calling for enhancing existing institutions rather than creating new ones with overlapping mandates. He pointed out inconsistencies in the positions of agencies under the Marine Ministry regarding the need for new entities.

Dr Emeka Akabogu, secretary of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association, and Rear Admiral Chris Ezekobe (retd.) joined other speakers in rejecting the bill.

Igwe Ude Umanta, representing a coalition of 10 CSOs, also urged the Senate to drop the proposal, stressing that it would not address security challenges in Nigeria’s waterways.