Maritime Security Challenges in Nigeria: Reflections from Conversational Philosophy

  • Umezurike, John Ezugwu
  • Ekiyor, Welson
Keywords: Maritime insecurity, Sea piracy, Crude oil theft, Ocean-based terrorism, kidnapping

Abstract

At the mention of maritime insecurity, what often comes to the mind is the topical issue of piracy in the open oceans. But it is more than that, as it has also to do with the illegal activities such as crude oil theft, kidnapping and smuggling that take place not only in the world's oceans but also in regional seas, territorial waters, rivers, and ports. However, outside the high-profile piracies recorded in off the coast of Somalia in the early 2000s, which brought about searing poverty, economic exclusion and crossborder attritions; Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire are other countries with a high incidence of piracy and terrorism on the continent. Though, International Maritime Bureau (IBM) recently reported that piracy, and other forms of maritime insecurity are subsiding, there are still troubling trends of piratic activities in the Gulf of Guinea. This paper using conversational method, which allows for deconstruction and reconstruction for system building and complementation, examines the factors responsible for the scourges in the coastal waters of Nigeria with specific reference to Niger Delta region. It argues that engagement of Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, in the maritime security defense sector is not enough, as it recommends the need to heavily invest in capacity building, provision of modern infrastructural security support and enthronement of good governance.

Published
2024-02-17
Section
Articles