Gloria Ikegbule
Committed to ensuring safety in the Nigerian maritime domain, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has commissioned the C4i Operational Centre for integrated maritime surveillance and security infrastructure at Kirikiri, Lagos.
The security mechanism otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project of the Federal Government was made possible through the bi-ministerial collaboration of the Federal Ministries of Defense and the Federal Ministry of Transportation under the supervision of the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President.
According to NIMASA, the C4i Operation Centre, which is an acronym for Command Control Computer Communication Information System is a central nerve. Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Peterside Dakuku who was represented the Executive Director of Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services; Mr. Gambo Ahmed, said the center would serve as the base for situational intelligence for the Deep Blue Project with 40 personnel broken down into operators, intelligence officers and shift supervisors manning the centre.
In recent times, the Gulf of Guinea has been plagued with piracy attacks and all sort of sea robberies. And the international community regards the Nigerian maritime domain as having the highest insecurity records in the region.
However, he said he is optimistic that the centre will meet the safety aspiration of the Nigerian maritime industry.
His words: “You would agree that surveillance and intelligence gathering are critical components in the drive to improve maritime safety and security. The Deep Blue Project was designed as an early detection coastal security system with the aim of preventing illegal activities by identifying and analyzing suspicious activity at the earliest possible moment. The system does this by using a wide range of sophisticated air, marine and land assets.