The Provisional Committee of the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) on Monday said its findings have revealed a deliberate resolve by vested interests to retain control of Nigeria’s maritime sector at the expense of transparency and national interest.
Key Highlights:
- The Provisional Committee of the Nigerian Coast Guard says opposition to the Coast Guard Bill is driven by vested interests in the maritime sector.
- The group argues the bill is stalled in the National Assembly due to political and institutional resistance, not legal barriers.
- It insists the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard would fill a major gap in maritime security and governance.
- The committee cites national policy on the marine and blue economy as supporting the need for the agency.
- It urges stakeholders to discard objections and support creation of the Coast Guard for national security and environmental protection.
The PC-NCG said this is one of the reasons why the Nigeria Coast Guard Bill has stalled in the National Assembly.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Director of Communications & Public Affairs, PC-NCG, Piriye Kiyaramo quoted the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of PC-NCG, Noah Ichaba, as saying that arguments against the creation of the Nigerian Coast Guard contradict verifiable operational realities on the ground.
“What is often presented as a legal impossibility is, in reality, a question of political feasibility and executive cooperation, which the bill did not lack.
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“The Nigerian Coast Guard Bill is not a private bill in the true legislative sense; it is a public, national-security bill whose subject matter transcends individual or sectional interests,” the statement said.
He noted that the bill’s classification as a private member’s bill relates only to its sponsorship, not to its substance, scope, or constitutional relevance.
“For better maritime governance, it is a national imperative, not a private initiative,” he said.
Citing the findings and recommendations of Senior Executive Course 47 (2025) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Ichaba said that from the report, it is clearly deducible that the absence of a coast guard agency is a critical institutional gap that must be addressed without delay.
“The continued absence of a coast guard would render any claim to maritime security indefensible and contrary to Nigeria’s maritime interests.
“This is especially so, given that the federal government has established the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and formulated a national policy on marine and blue economy,” he stated.
The PC-NCG called on relevant authorities, stakeholders, and the general public to consider these findings in the pursuit of sound policy decisions.
It urged that self-serving claims inconsistent with administrative, legislative, legal, and traditional practices be discarded to enhance national maritime safety, security, and environmental protection.
“PC-NCG has conducted a comprehensive analysis of all arguments against the creation of the proposed agency and found that they are largely based on misconceptions of what the coast guard is and does,” the statement read.
