By Ebere Levi
Cross River state governor, Professor Ben Ayade has advocated for a greater collaboration between the state and Nigerian Navy in the area of security.
The governor who spoke in Calabar Tuesday during a courtesy call on him by the new commandant of Nigerian Navy Ship, (NNS) Victory, Calabar, Navy Commodore Idi Abass, commended the Nigerian Navy for playing a critical role in securing the state, particularly Calabar the state capital
Ayade however, sued for amicable resolution of the dispute between Cross River and the Navy over land.
He said: “Let me commend the Chief of Naval staff for his patriotism and commitment to the maritime security of Nigeria and to Cross River in particular. To put it on record, the CNS has done his very best to bring progress and make us feel the presence of the Nigerian Navy.
“As the commandant of the NNS Victory, you will recognize that you will be playing a daily role, attending our security meetings, assisting in collaborating with us on the Operation Skolombo we constituted, and to also thank your predecessor that had played a major role in controlling cultism and sea piracy as well as smuggling between Calabar and the Cameroon.
“Let me put it on record that the Nigerian Navy played a major role in controlling smuggling that at a point, the number of arrest made by the Navy was as if they were even competing with customs in terms of all the illegal transactions illegal weapons and illegal importation of rice into Nigeria. As you can see from your records, a whole lot of food items particularly rice was impounded by the Nigerian Navy and handed over to the customs. So, I want to commend his services and corporation and relationship that we enjoyed between Cross River State government and the Nigerian Navy through the Instrumentality of that office”
The governor noted that “not too long ago, the same Nigerian Navy approached us to bring in the naval war college and we graciously, as a state approved an inimitable size of land towards the water front for you a place to build a world class international war college at no cost at all.
“Therefore, let me use this opportunity to bring to your notice that this great healthy relationship is almost being compromised and let me use you as a voice of God to pass a message to the CNS and to the president, that Cross River State has a whole lot of Nigerian Navy presence. You have the Naval reference hospital here , you have the old Navy hospital, you have the Navy war college you have the barracks as well as the Navy guest house and each of this is situated in a sizable plot land.
“However, Cross River State government was appalled to see that as you step out of here you see a new high rise building coming up as a Naval guest house which we understand is also the business wing of the Nigerian Navy building and it will be available to the public”
He lamented that the structure lacks basic building approvals and appealed to the Navy to make amends.
“As you see that building coming up, it has no design, it has no land title it has no land ownership, it has no application for approval. The Nigerian Navy is supposed to be an agent of government that enforces law and order, when law and order is being compromised it becomes worrying. I am sorry this is part of the problem you have inherited, because you didn’t start it and you didn’t cause it but, it doesn’t look nice that a Governor sits in the state and sees a building sprawling by his office in a strictly official office zone,a hotel is springing up, whether it’s being called a guest house or not it’s a hotel”
Continuing, the governor told Commodore Abbas: “I plead with you to take this message to the chief of naval staff that as a son of the soil, we will not do anything to bring him to disrepute and so to that extent we have resolved to stay on a diplomatic discussion.
Speaking earlier, the new commandant commended the governor’s giant strides and pledged to join hands with other security agencies in the state to make Cross River safe for business and leisure.
“I have been briefed by the outgone commander about the security situation in the state and I was also able to go round myself and I can say that I have a fore knowledge of the security situation of the state.
“On this note sir, I would pledge to work together with all the relevant security agencies and other people concerned with making sure of the security of this our dear state to make sure it is safe for business and the protection of lives and property”, Commodore Abbas said.
