Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has called for conscious and peaceful coexistence among Nigerian coastal border communities and States as fundamental to achieving substantial and rapid development of the region.
The Governor made the call in Uyo on Friday when he declared open an inaugural summit of the Nigerian International Coastal Border Platform held on the theme: “Enhancing the Potential of International Coastal Border Communities for National and Regional Development: The Role of Stakeholders.”
According to Governor Eno, “We as a people must continually explore ways to maintain and deepen peace with our neighbouring countries and, of course, the states.
“We must integrate our people living in the riverine communities and provide them with essential amenities like schools, medical facilities, and other essentials of life that would help them survive and also thrive in peace and harmony,” he stated.
He harped on the need for coastal dwellers to be provided with a safe, secure, and peaceful environment by their State governments.
“I believe these are some of the necessary areas this summit will recommend and pursue with our various State governments.
“For us in Akwa Ibom State, apart from setting up the first stand-alone Ministry of Internal Security and Waterways headed by a retired General of the Nigerian Army, we have supported the Nigerian Navy with patrol boats to help in patrolling and securing our waterways,” he said.
He commended the Nigerian Navy for its commitment, affirming that its resilience has greatly reduced to a negligible proportion the incidents of kidnapping, sea piracy, robbery, pipeline vandalism, and other sea crimes.
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“The dedication to their statutory obligations has also given security guarantees to those living in the riverine areas. Moreover, it serves as a deterrence to any security infractions from elsewhere,” he said.
The Governor disclosed that the government under his leadership has provided modern amenities to the people living in the coastal areas.
“We are empowering our fishing communities. We are currently working on a multi-billion-naira marine infrastructure project in Oron, a major coastal town.
“This project comprises a terminal building, passenger ferry boats, warehouses, cold rooms, cargo and passenger jetties, recreational garden, beachfront, and security outposts for the Nigerian Navy,” he added.
He noted that the people living in the coastal areas of the State are critical to the development of the blue economy, which, according to him, is one of the key areas of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Governor cited the recent United Nations’ international conference in Nice, France, on the effects of Ocean rise and how it would be beneficial on the issues surrounding flooding and other climate challenges, especially around coastal areas.
He pointed out that most coastal communities are being washed away by the rising ocean, and therefore, urged the stakeholders to unite to proffer ideas and solutions towards stemming the tide of the effects of the ocean.
“I believe we can do something to continue to save these communities. The experience that we gathered at that conference should be able to come in handy in this summit so that we can get to work to protect our communities from the effects of ocean rise, and also reduce the adverse effects of climate change,” he said.
Governor Eno, therefore, welcomed and wished the participants a fruitful summit, enjoining them to deepen their deliberations to come up with quality ideas, solutions, and recommendations that would help them deliver effectively on their work.
Earlier, the State Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, noted that the Nigerian International Coastal Border Platform is an innovation that emerged following the recommendation of the national sensitisation workshop on African Union integrated border governance strategy and the African Union Convention on cross-border cooperation held in Abuja on the 17th March, 2022.
Also, the Chairman of the Nigerian International Coastal Border Platform and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stressed the need for stakeholders to put their heads together to discover ways of eradicating the various challenges of their coastal region.
The summit witnessed different paper presentations, including a keynote address by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, who was represented by Rear Admiral Danjuma Ndanusa.
Highpoint of the event was the declaration of the summit open by Governor Umo Eno, flanked by the Deputy Governors of Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ogun, Ondo, Rivers, and Lagos States.
