The Western Command of the Nigerian Navy (NN) on Sunday flagged off its second biannual sea exercise to sustain anti-crime patrols of the maritime environment.
Six capital ships and 11 boats would take part in the three-day exercise codenamed ‘Ategun Alafiia’, a Yoruba phrase for calm wind, aimed at eliminating all bottlenecks to economic prosperity within the command’s area of responsibility (AOR).
Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, said the exercise prepares the command for the Chief of Naval Staff’s (CNS) sea inspection coming up towards the end of the year.
Daji said some of the participating vessels were deployed to sea on Sunday when the exercise was activated.
He said the sea exercise would help the command assess its capabilities, operational readiness and the level of its officers’ training at shore and sea.
Flagging off the exercise onboard board Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) UNITY, Daji said, “During this exercise we will be giving very robust support from the sea to Operation Swift Response so that the operation will have an added bite from the sea through the vessels that will be participating.
“Recall that Operation Swift Response has been ordered to continue for another 30 days. We have dedicated patrol vessels towards that exercise but in this Ategun Alafia we will be able to give added bite to ensure that the criminals do not take advantage of any loopholes through the maritime area to sabotage the economy.
“We want to see them (personnel) to be highly professional. We want to know if they are able to practicalise at sea the trainings they have imbibed at shore and see where there are gaps so we can communicate same to the training establishment to make sure that such gaps are blocked.”
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) among others will partake in the exercise.
Officer in Tactical Command (OTC) Commodore Elkanah Jaiyeola said the intent of the general exercise was to conduct various deterrence and protective measures against current and impending security challenges in the maritime domain, adding that scheme of maneuvers will be conducted in three phases- preparatory, education and termination.