Fashola Receives New Chief of Naval Staff, Says Nation's Current Challenges Present Huge Opportunities to create home grown Expertise
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) Wednesday received the new Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, on a courtesy visit, stating that the nation’s current security challenges present huge opportunities for the country to create home grown expertise.
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The Governor who spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja, venue of the event, frowned at the practice whereby the country often resorts to seeking foreign assistance to solve local challenges instead of looking inwards pointing out that if those foreign country did not acquire the knowledge from their own experiences they would have nothing to share.
According to the Governor, while some may see what the country is currently going through as a challenge, he would rather see it as a rebuilding process adding that while it may not going to be easy for leadership, it would be possible for leadership.
“You know that most of the things that have become domesticated appliances today were as a result of military research in other parts of the world. Items like drugs and life-saving equipment were products of military research and I think the Nigerian experience should not be different”, he said.The Governor called for greater collaboration between the Navy and the State the as it develops its water transportation by developing ferry and jetty terminals adding that there seems not to be a connection between the Navy and the State in that area.
He said the state could benefit from the expertise of the Navy in areas like dredging maintenance and several areas where the Nigerian Navy clearly have the equipment and also assist in teaching people the right attitudes to adopt on the waters.
Governor Fashola added that the Nigerian Navy could also take advantage of the large number of boat owners in the country by organizing training courses for such people who have had to resort to attending such courses in Dubai and other countries. The Governor added that Lagos is presently procuring its ferry boats from outside the country when clearly local capacities for manufacturing such boats exist locally but need to be activated, tasking the Nigerian Navy to do the needful in that direction.
“We now see military formations now getting inside advertisement in order to raise money to support itself when clearly you can do other things in areas that are your core specialty. There are so many boats in Lagos but who is maintaining them. I think the Navy can develop service centres and training centres in navigation, charting maps instead of getting into areas where there would be conflicts with the civil society”, he added.
Governor Fashola also said that there are reported cases of some military men committing infractions of forcibly taking possession of lands that do not belong to them, maintaining that anyone who is interested in getting a land should apply and buy it.
Speaking earlier, the Naval Chief, Vice Admiral Jubrin, commended the assistance of the State, which he referred to as “the home of the Navy”, in donating two boats to check criminality in the back waters.
“I have observed with interest some of the ways we conduct ourselves and we felt that there is indeed the need for us to organize training and seminars in the area of civil-military relationship”, the Naval boss said praying that the fundamental development of Lagos State which the Governor has started would continue to be sustained during his tenure and much after it.
The Naval Chief also pledged the support of the Navy for the State in its provision of internal security and also in providing security in whatever area chosen by the State in the Lekki Free Trade Zone and Deep Seaport construction.
Prominent among those as the Governor hosted the Chief of Naval Staff were the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaiye, Secretary to the State Government, Dr (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule, Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba as well as some senior military officers.
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