Summit courts private sector partnerships for improved maritime security in the Niger Delta

The Niger Delta Investment Summit has called on private sector companies working in the area of maritime security to deploy a coordinated approach to ensure maximum impact.

This was stated in a statement released by the organizing committee after they paid a courtesy visit to Target One Group in Abuja last week.

The statement signed by Emmanuel Ukpong, Lead Consultant at Gadfly Consulting Limited, the organisers of the summit were full of praises for Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Kennedy Odoeme for the role of his company and other security companies in ensuring security and stability in the Niger Delta region.

"We are here to commend you not only for your support and partnership with our summit but most importantly the quiet and revolutionary intervention in the area of pipeline surveillance and maritime security that has saved Nigeria billions of dollars till date. We remember when oil theft and vandalization of pipelines were daily nightmares in the Niger Delta. Losses due to oil theft reduced our country's production capacity to sometimes 600,000 barrels per day far below our more than 2,000,000 barrels per day production capacity. The country was hemorrhaging and our nation was helplessly losing revenue which jeopardized development across all sectors. This was before the Amnesty program and the efforts of companies like yours and ofcourse Tantita Security Limited among others in securing our national assets especially the pipeline Infrastructure".

Commenting further on the issue, the Co-convener of the summit, Dr. Uche Igwe commended Nigeria's Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas and other security agencies for working with other government agencies including Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for the recorded improvements in maritime safety recorded by our country.

According to him "our upcoming summit will be that platform for regular stock taking, identifying the issues that will boost the economy in the Niger Delta and galvanising relevant stakeholders and partners to chart a way forward. There will be a session dedicated to maritime security so that government and private sector players like Target One Group remain on the same page of continuous improvement. Experts from other countries have been invited to share their experiences too. “This is the way to write that new chapter of prosperity and sustainability that we all crave for in the Niger Delta and I thank you for being part of it", he stated.

The annual summit whose maiden edition is scheduled to hold from the 9th-11th February in Ikot Ekpene. The former Prime Minister of Tunisia His Excellency Mehdi Jomaa has confirmed his attendance as keynote speaker at the summit. The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno known to be passionate about developing the blue economy in his state is billed to declare the summit open

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