Their proliferation may worsen insecurity- says NN
The Nigerian Navy (NN) has raised serious concerns over the proliferation of illegal maritime security outfits in the country saying they are likely to worsen the scourge of insecurity in the country with grave impact on national security.
NN said in a statement on Friday by its spokesman Commodore AO Ayo-Vaughan that it had noted with dismay the unscrupulous activities of some impostors and self-acclaimed maritime security outfits .
It said that these illegal maritime security outfits now make use of naval uniforms and accoutrements including uniforms that resemble naval uniforms to deceive, harass, intimidate, and defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
“Some of these outfits go as far as selling recruitment forms to the public and even conduct secret recruitment exercises and training,” he said.
According to him, the activities of these impostors and miscreants are observed to be on the rise notwithstanding the proscription order of the Federal Government of Nigeria official Gazette No. 58 Vol 100 titled “the Dissolution and Proscription of Certain Associations Order, 2013” banning all such firms/outfits.
“The Order in Paragraph 2 states that “As from the commencement of this Order, the dissolved and proscribed associations shall not be formed into any new associations by whatever name or title, within the meaning of this Order”.
“Suffice to state that the NN in the past had arrested and handed over for prosecution, members of some of these outlawed organizations. Nevertheless, their illegal activities have continued unabated in some part of the country particularly the South-south geopolitical zone.
Some proscribed maritime outfits operating illegally in the nation are Nigerian Merchant Navy, Nigerian Merchant Navy Coastal Defence Force, Nigerian Coast Guard, Merchant Navy Maritime Academy, Nigerian Merchant Navy Coast Guard Security and Safety Corps, Maritime Security Agency as well as Nigerian Maritime Law Enforcement Agency amongst others.
Pertinently, “the proliferation of illegal maritime security outfits is worrisome and may worsen the scourge of insecurity in the country with likely grave impact on national security. It has therefore become necessary to notify the public and appeal for caution.”
The Nigerian Navy advised that information about these impostors and illegal maritime outfits should be forwarded to the NN so as to facilitate the arrest of these miscreants. Essentially, operatives of the NN in conjunction with other Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies will continue to maintain vigilance in order to locate, promptly apprehend and prosecute these miscreants in accordance with the laws of the land.
Members of the public are thus enjoined to report any suspected impostor or fake maritime security personnel to the nearest police station and/or naval base. In addition, members of the public are advised not to patronise or purchase entry/recruitment forms from these proscribed outfits.
Report suspicious behaviour of any group of persons or organizations who claim to be personnel of the NN or who are found dressed in or in possession of naval uniforms and accoutrements or similar uniforms and accoutrements including those conducting fake recruitment and naval training.
The statement said that “the Nigerian Navy does not sell entry/recruitment forms to the public as is the practice of some of these fraudsters. Hence, anyone selling recruitment forms is not a naval personnel but an impostor.
The perpetrators of these illegalities are warned that the Nigerian Navy as statutorily empowered, will leave no stone unturned in her bid to secure the maritime environment for enhanced security of lives and properties and for the conduct of legitimate maritime commerce as well as related economic activities, the naval spokesman said.
DJ Tunez has lost his laptop in Maimi. According to the official disc jockey of afrobeats star, Wizkid, he said he lost his laptop bag at the Afronation Festival in Maimi, United States, during the weekend. He said the laptop bag contained his working laptop and pleaded with whoever is in possession of it to return it to him. Tunez disclosed this via his Instastory recently. He promised a cash reward to anyone that finds it. He wrote, “I lost my laptop bag in Maimi please if anyone finds it contact me!Cash reward!“My Starboy DJ laptop ooo.”
Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo has reacted after President Muhammadu Buhari conferred a National Honour, Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON, on him. Reacting on Sunday, Keyamo said he was conferred along with other “deserving and distinguished Nigerians”, saying he was number 15 in the list. Keyamo thanked and prayed for Buhari, asking God to honour the president as he did to others. The statement reads, “I was very delighted to wake up this morning to the news of the conferment on my humble self of one of the highest National Honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) (No. 15 on the list).“I had no single inkling this was coming and for this I am grateful to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.“His style is to give honours and privileges to those deserving of them and not those who lobby for them. Thank you, Mr. President and may God Almighty continue to honour you even as you have honoured others”.
Nigeria’s Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari has conferred citizenship on 385 foreign nationals, The Nation reports.He declared them worthy Nigerians after meeting all necessary conditions. The conferment was conducted on behalf of the President by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at Gen Abdulraman Danbazzau Conference Hall, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Headquarters, Abuja. Buhari said his administration gave citizenship to more foreigners than any administration so far, asserting that the gesture was to encourage foreign investment and boost the nation’s economy. He described those conferred the citizenship as worthy of the honour, saying they have contributed in various fields of human endeavours to the development of the country.The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola said those conferred with the citizenship met the stringent conditions attached to it, and called for the review of the Nigerian Constitution to allow more foreign nationals apply for citizenship. He said in Europe and United States, foreigners who had lived there could apply for citizenship after 5 years, but wondered why in Nigeria foreigners would have to wait for 15 years before they could apply for Nigeria citizenship. He however commended Buhari for initiating policies that make application for citizenship attractive to foreign nationals, saying from the records a total of 671 have been conferred with Nigeria citizenship within the past five years. Aregbesola said: ”That we have a high number of foreigners willing to become Nigerians is an indication that the on-going efforts of the Federal Government to make Nigeria a destination for investment and peaceful coexistence is beginning to yield good fruits.“I must state also that it is under our administration that the largest number of foreigners have been naturalised. “Between 2011 and 2013,a total of 266 foreigners became Nigerians. In 2017, 335 people took up Nigerian citizenship. But last year, 286 foreigners and today at this ceremony, 385, making a total of 671 have acquired Nigerian citizenship.“I am still not pleased with this figure. In Europe and America, thousands of foreigners are inducted into citizenship every year. They do this to attract youths and people in their prime who would like to contribute to the development of their countries.“The bane of the smooth pathway to Nigerian citizenship however is the constitutional requirement of continuous residency in Nigeria for 15 years.” This is a huge disincentive, considering that in the United States and most European countries, it is five years. Some of these countries have made a habit of snatching young and resourceful brains – who after four years of schooling and working for just one year – through easy pathways, to obtain quality migration to their countries.” I will therefore urge the relevant institutions of state to reconsider this in the next effort at amendment to the constitution. We ought to have easier pathways to citizenship for foreigners than currently obtains.”