The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Chatham House London agreed to raise maritime security issues in the Gulf of Guinea at the United Nations Security Council in August.

This was disclosed in a statement by NIMASA on Monday.

Chatham House is a British think tank based in London.

The statement said the decision was reached during a session between NIMASA director-general Dayo Mobereola and Alex Vines, director of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, accompanied by his team.

Nigeria’s alternate permanent representative at the International Maritime Organisation, Bwala William, also attended the meeting. He said the agency and Chatham House had also begun a collaboration to convene a meeting of international stakeholders from Nigeria’s public and private sectors.

Mr Mobereola emphasised the progress made by NIMASA in combating piracy and sea robbery in the region.

Shortly after the meeting, the NIMASA boss emphasised the importance of effective international partnerships to sustain security in the Gulf of Guinea.

Mr Mobereola said Chatham helped people, societies and governments to understand and adapt to change and has been a source of independent analysis and trusted dialogue for one hundred years.

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea remains of great concern to countries in West and Central Africa, with the worst affected countries being Nigeria, Togo, and Cote d’Ivoire.

In 2021, the UN commended Nigeria for playing a leading role in efforts to secure the Gulf of Guinea, saying it will continue to support the country and the region.

The secretary general of the International Maritime Organisation, Kitack Lim, said Nigeria’s important contributions to the fight against piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea maritime domain, foremost among them the recent launch of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project.

IMO is the specialised agency of the UN responsible for regulating shipping.

(NAN)