Reps assure business community on improved maritime security, oil theft

The House of Representatives on Thursday assured Nigerians and business community across the world of its resolve towards addressing various challenges bedevilling the country’s maritime industry including oil theft, piracy and oil bunkering.

Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Hon. Shaaban Sharada gave the assurance in Abuja at the inaugural meeting of the committee.

Hon. Sharada also pledged the committee’s commitment towards “writing the names of members of the committee in the history of Nigeria, by improving the security of the oil and maritime industries.”

While soliciting for the cooperation of members of the committee in the discharge of its responsibility, the chairman said: “if you look at how the navy committee in the past has been discharging its work, we have a lot of things to do presently to salvage this country from a lot of issues bedevilling the country ranging from the issue of oil theft, piracy and a lot of bunkering and other maritime security within our waterways.

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According to him: “by the special grace of God, we will do our best to ensure that we add value to the people of Nigeria and Nigerian government as well as Nigerian financial institutions in such a way that will reduce such menace to the barest minimum.”

In the bid to achieve the feat, Hon. Sharada assured members of operating an open door policy, over the “next three and half years that we have in the National Assembly.”

Hon. Sharada who expressed satisfaction over the cognate experience of members of the committee, assured that his colleagues have requisite knowledge of the “modus operandi of the National Assembly, in fact, those members other who have experience in navy, my Deputy Chairman is also a retired navy officer and we have two or three navy officers that are in this committee.

“So by the special grace of God, we are going to work with experienced people well-dedicated members. With my interaction with you so far, I’m very sure the navy committee is going to emerge as one of the best committees in the National Assembly.

According to him: “aside from the statutory role of oversight the Nigerian Navy as an institution particularly the units and commands, the press have been the budget process at hand I have informed the Secretariat to give us the one-year work plan and subsequently update and review other yearly plans,” he explained.