The Nigerian government has been called upon to curb the rise in piracy in the Niger Delta region, occasioned by, among others, legal and jurisdictional weaknesses, underfunded law enforcement, inadequate security, permissive political environments, the culmination of years of inattention, desperation and lawlessness.
Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDC), conveners of an International Conference on Law of the Sea and Maritime, where this call was made, said this is so that governance processes and the welfare of the people in the resource rich region can be improved.
The Conference was held on June 10, 2023, and had in attendance, Keynote and guest speakers including His Excellency Dr. Paul Adalikwu, Secretary General of the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR, Director General and CEO of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Chief (Barr) Emmanuel Tam Ezekiel-Hart, Vice President Asia Pacific of the IDC.
Anchored and moderated by Chief (Amb) Regina Yaboh, IDC Vice President, the Americas, and Dr. Antonia Garner, IDC Vice President, Europe, the Conference that was attended by both members and non-members of the Council, widely recognized as the Voice of Ijaw Diaspora, also urged “all stakeholders to reduce the lure of dollars from buyers of stolen crude oil to Nigerian youths, especially in the Niger Delta region” as well as drastically minimize “corrupt foreign government officials and financial institutions receiving and recycling illicit funds; ransom payments for crews and sailors in dollars; and exotic lifestyles from the proceeds” all of which “serve to whet the appetite for these criminal activities and further attract the youths.”
The communique, endorsed by 26 Key Conference Representatives/Participants, including Gesiere Dorgu-Brisibe, Mondy Gold, Edward Agbai, Chief (Barr.) Emmanuel T. Ezekiel-Hart and Chief (Amb.) Regina Yaboh, equally called on Niger Delta state governments to support Operation Obangame, “the largest multinational maritime exercise in West and Central Africa, which includes numerous sea and ashore training events throughout the Gulf of Guinea and the Southern Atlantic oceans and is sponsored by the United States African Command, in order to combat the threat of oil theft in the region.”
Full text of the communique reads:
Communique from the Ijaw Diaspora Council’s International Conference on Law of the Sea and Maritime
The Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDC), widely recognized as the Voice of Ijaw Diaspora, hosted an international Conference on International Law of the Sea and Maritime Law on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Keynote and guest speakers included His Excellency Dr. Paul Adalikwu, Secretary General of the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, OFR, Director General and CEO of the Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Chief (Barr) Emmanuel Tam Ezekiel-Hart, Vice President Asia Pacific of the IDC.
The conference, which was anchored and moderated by Chief (Amb) Regina Yaboh, IDC Vice President of the Americas, and Dr. Antonia Garner, IDC Vice President of Europe, respectively, drew both members and non-members from all over the world.
The representatives and participants at the conference:
Urges the government in Nigeria to curb rise of piracy activities in the Niger Delta occasioned by legal and jurisdictional weakness, favorable geography, conflict and disorder, underfunded law enforcement, inadequate security, permissive political environments, cultural acceptability, the culmination of years of inattention, desperation and lawlessness in the area bordering the globally vital shipping routes by improving governance processes and welfare of the people in the resource based region
Calls on all stakeholders to reduce the lure of dollars from buyers of stolen crude oil to Nigerian youths, especially in the Niger Delta region; corrupt foreign government officials and financial institutions receiving and recycling illicit funds; ransom payments for crews and sailors in dollars; and exotic lifestyles from the proceeds all serve to whet the appetite for these criminal activities and further attract the youths.
Calls on state governments in the Niger Delta to support operations Obangame, the largest multinational maritime exercise in West and Central Africa, which includes numerous sea and ashore training events throughout the Gulf of Guinea and the Southern Atlantic oceans and is sponsored by the United States African Command, in order to combat the threat of oil theft in the region. The Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, 2019 of Nigeria empowered the Deep Blue security architecture of the federal government of Nigeria (specifically NIMASA) for the prosecution of criminals. It has reduced the occurrence of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea to a manageable level.
Agrees to collaborate and improve synergy among stakeholder and sustain the gains made by the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and work assiduously with member States and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the establishment of an Integrated Coast Guard Function Network to supply regional mechanism for combating piracy and armed robbery against ships and for enhancing maritime security in general for the area from Mauritania to Angola.
Urges Niger Delta states with invaluable resources and jurisdictional rights and responsibility to Nigeria as a State can generate an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles towards the high seaward for Nigeria; and by slope of its continental shelf brings to Nigeria 350 nautical miles measured from its baseline, as defined by article 57 of the 1982 UNLOS. This is because a coastal State such as Nigeria and coastal communities such Bonny, Warri, or Brass, or Hobart in Australia enjoys the benefit of exploitations of its marine resources up to its EEZ as measured from its farthest point of its island or coast.
Urges Niger Delta states to apply caution like in the joint development zones of Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe and further apply restraint in the maritime delimitation process because the rights conferred on a coastal state to explore and exploit its natural resources stem from the principle of “Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources” (PSNR) – a legal, governmental control, and management authority over natural resources, particularly as an aspect of the exercise of the right of self-determination.
Urges restraint in coast sharing states where no delimitation agreement has been reached, because disputes are bound to arise on the sovereign rights over the natural resources within those boundaries. Especially in areas endowed with natural resources such as oil and gas often found in deposits that extend across a coastal State’s maritime boundaries, allowing for its exploitation from either side of the line.
Urges nation state to use the Joint Development Agreement, which has been successfully utilized in its various forms by coastal states that understood the benefits of early and certain revenue generation from the exploitation of natural resources, compared to a violent unilateral assertion of sovereign right, or the resolution of conflict through the various means afforded in the UNCLOS.
Confirms the need for collaboration between the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDC) to address the problems of the Niger Delta.
Key Conference Representatives/Participants
Gesiere Dorgu-Brisibe
Mondy Gold
Edward Agbai
Emmanuel T. Ezekiel-Hart
Regina Yaboh
Antonia Garner
Paul Adalikwu
Bashir Jamoh
Chief Edmond Yougha
Allen Kigigha
Lady Ilanye LongJohn
Preye Buowari
Ebi Okorodas
Franscis Achike
Souton Dambo
Sele Kenneth Asiagbe
Abiye Hector-Goma
E. T. Oki-Ogunlade
Stephen Benstowe
Tunji Goyea
Marie Teibowei
Praise Tangbe
Onuche Kingsley
Sebastian T. Ukegheson
Ohenenana Kweku Attafuh
Doubara Johnson
