Nigeria, others call for ban of stolen crude, illegal fishing In Gulf of Guinea

Abiola Seun |

The member states of the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) region have asked the international community to declare resources that are illegally harvested and explored in the GoG as ‘blood diamond.’

This was contained as part of the resolutions reached at the end of a three -day Global Maritime Security Summit held in Abuja and organised by the Ministry of transportation on conjunction with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on securing the GoG.

The 3-day conference featured deliberations on 11 thematic panels where experts led discussions and proffered solutions on a wide spectrum of maritime security and development issues in the region.

The Gulf of Guinea countries are Republic of Benin, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

However, reading the communique at the end of the conference, the Director General, NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside said illegal resources which included stolen oil, Illegal unreported and unregulated fishing among others should be intentionally banned as was the case with the ‘blood diamonds’.

According to the communique known as Abuja Declaration , the GoG states and the international community should put mechanism in place to ensure these resources are banned to discourage further depletion of resources in the GoG region.

The communique reads, “The GoG States and the international community should put mechanisms in place to ensure that resources that are illegally harvested/explored in the GoG, including stolen oil and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishery, are intentionally banned as was the case with the “blood diamonds”.

The DG also in a press conference further stated that international legal frameworks should be strictly enforced on stolen resources.

His words, “the communique recommended that stolen resources from the GoG such as crude oil, illegal fish should be treated like blood diamond. That is the position of the conference and there are already international frameworks for which diamonds stolen on certain conditions are treated as blood diamond. There are international regulatory frameworks already so, we urge these frameworks to be applied on stolen crude, stolen fish taken from our waters illegally and in an unregulated manner.”

“There is also the port state agreement which of course treat illegal unreported and unregulated fishing like blood Diamond.

“Now, some of these legal instruments have clear recommendations on how to treat those who are culpable. All we are saying is please can you enforce the international regulations and conventions that is the position of this conference,” has said.

The participating countries also agreed that GoG countries should explore alternative and innovative sources of funding for their maritime security and law enforcement agencies.

“GoG countries should explore alternative and innovative sources of funding for their maritime security and law enforcement agencies to enhance the effectiveness of their response to maritime incidents.

“GoG States should establish repeatable, documentable frameworks for inter-agency cooperation. GoG states are encouraged to strengthen mechanisms and structures for engagement with the local communities, fishing communities and seafarers including private stakeholders for economic benefits.

“GoG States should strengthen, including funding, national, zonal and regional maritime domain awareness centres to enhance information sharing and coordination. GoG States are encouraged to sustain regular meeting of heads of states, heads of navies/coast guards and other maritime enforcement agencies on issues of maritime security for mutual benefit.”

Alao speaking, the Chief of policy and plans, Naval headquarters, Rear Admiral Begroy Ibe-Enwo attributed stealing of resources in the Gulf of Guinea is an international organised crime.

Enwo who represented the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok -Ete Ibas said, “On the conspiracy theory that illegal fishing in our waters is an international organised crime, you have said it all and that is our suspicion and that is exactly what it is and that is why forum like this that we have had is also to let the international community know that they should also discourage their own people from participating in this kind of illegality and that is why one of the communique recommendations clearly stated that such fishes should be called ‘blood fish’ or whatever,” he advised