Nigerian Navy is embarking on a sea inspection exercise, christened ‘Exercise Eagle Eye’, which is aimed at assessing its operational capacity in the fight against internal and external aggression along Nigerian waterways.
Flagging off the exercise at the Warri Port in Delta State, Chief of Training and Operations, Rear Admiral Adebayo Oshinowo representing the Chief of Naval Staff challenged officers and men not to relent until the war against militancy and every sea crime is brought to a halt.
With the destruction of National oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta region in recent times, the need to tighten security on the nation’s water ways cannot be over emphasised.
Therefore, the objective for the exercise, according to him, is to access the readiness of the operational state of the Naval fleet and capability of the command as it protects the National waterways amongst other contemporary responsibilities.
“This mission on top maritime operatives is in order to ensure a secure maritime environment including the prevention of man attacks on Nigerian Navy house boats in the assigned area of operation,” he said.
The exercise is conducted within the Eastern and Central commands area of responsibilities, covering a coastline of 220 nautical mile extending seaward up to 80 nautical mile and sea area of 39,000 square nautical miles of the nation’s territorial waters.
Giving an insight of what to expect at the end of the exercise, Rear Admiral Oshinowo said: “At the end of this exercise, it is expected that the Nigerian Navy will be able to determine the strength and weakness in the logistics. It will also expose unforeseen contingencies which could be incorporated in the next exercise.”
Operation Eagle Eye, a new exercise incorporated into the Chief of Naval Staff Annual Sea Inspection, involved the deployment of nine capital ships, over 80 gunboats and 11 inshore patrol cars and five Navy helicopters, to cover Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.
The exercise would last for five days.
