The Nigerian Navy said it has made arrangements to relocate the Naval Training Command headquarters from Lagos to Onne in Rivers State.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, at Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
He said, “The purpose of my coming here today is three-fold. The first is to inform His Excellency that on Saturday, we are graduating a set of former civilians who have been trained at our Basic Training School, Onne, and are graduating to join the ranks of the Nigerian Navy as ratings in order to beef up our strength.
“The second reason is to first appreciate the governor and the entire Rivers State government for the schools they donated to us: the Ambassador Nne Krukrubo Model Secondary School at Eleme in the Eleme Local Government Area, and the Model Secondary School, Egbelu in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
“We also want to use this opportunity to inform His Excellency that following that donation, and based on our strategic plan of moving our facilities to areas where we have enough space to be able to carry out our duties, we have renovated the school at Eleme.’’
“We are happy to report, today, that the erstwhile location of headquarters of Naval Training Command, Lagos, is moving to that particular school location in Eleme, tomorrow.”
Ogalla added that the Nigerian Navy, under his watch, had impounded 14 vessels caught with stolen crude oil, adding that several arrests were made.
Governor Fubara, in his response, encouraged the Nigerian Navy to be firm in the fight against all forms of economic sabotage, particularly crude oil theft, in the nation’s waterways.
The governor noted with delight the positive results already recorded by the Navy in the state due largely to the tremendous support it had received from his administration.
Fubara stated, “We are working together; we will give you all the support to make sure that you deliver on your mandate.
“And I am happy that they are positive and commendable records of achievement so far, in the course of your tenure.”
Fubara said the good news of the reduced level of oil theft in Rivers State is evidence of the many positive things that are happening in the State beyond the much-hyped negativity, and assured that such positive achievements will be sustained.