National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
By: Okosun Dennis
Six trainers of the United States Coast Guard have begun the training of 24 officers of the Nigerian Navy in a four-week intensive U.S. Coast Guard Boarding Officer training programme in Lagos.
The trainers from the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia are leading this capacity building programme which seeks to strengthen maritime law enforcement capabilities in Nigerian waters, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea.
The programme which began on the 30 August, 2021, is sponsored by the U.S. Africa Command, and the training would explore a variety of internationally recognized techniques and procedures for maritime law enforcement at-sea in a safe and professional manner.
In addition, the training would highlight more challenging scenarios and tactics in the use of force, evidence processing, arrest procedures, and perseverance.
Beyond that, the participants will explore best practices in countering illicit maritime activities such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; the trafficking of weapons, narcotics, and people; as well as the ongoing threat of piracy and oil infrastructure insecurity.
The U.S. Coast Guard training is part of a close and continuous military partnership between the United States and Nigeria spanning decades to strengthen defense ties and promote regional security.
It would be recalled that last month, officers assigned to USS Hershel “Woody” Williams visited Lagos and participated in a three-day at sea training exercise with Nigerian offshore patrol vessels.
In July, 25 officers of the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service and a team of U.S. Army Special Forces completed a five-week Joint Combined Exchange Training also known as J-CET.
It would be understood that Nigeria and the United States work together in multiple bilateral and multilateral military exercises, including African Lion, Flintlock, and Obangame Express, as well as strategic maritime security forums.
The U.S. government works closely with all the services of the Nigerian military to provide technical assistance, equipment, and professional exchange and training opportunities.
