The Provisional Committee for the Proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) has defended the proposed establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard, insisting that the new agency will eliminate, rather than duplicate, the responsibilities currently shared among multiple maritime institutions.
Key Highlights
- PC-NCG says the proposed Coast Guard will streamline overlapping maritime functions.
- Committee describes the Coast Guard as the “fourth pillar” of Nigeria’s maritime security architecture.
- Says current fragmentation has created duplication, higher costs and weak accountability.
- Welcomes Senate’s decision to allow further consultations on the Coast Guard Bill.
- Argues Nigeria needs a dedicated Coast Guard to strengthen maritime security and the Blue Economy.
The committee’s position follows Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s call for wider stakeholder consultations during the third reading of the Nigerian Coast Guard Bill.
In a statement signed by the Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, on behalf of the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the PC-NCG, Captain Noah Ichaba, the committee said the consultation presents an opportunity to clarify misconceptions surrounding the proposed legislation.
According to the statement, concerns that the proposed Coast Guard would duplicate the responsibilities of existing agencies overlook the fact that duplication already exists across Nigeria’s maritime sector.
“The evidence overwhelmingly supports this fact: duplication already exists. The Nigerian Coast Guard is designed to eliminate it,” the statement said.
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Captain Ichaba explained that Coast Guard responsibilities are currently spread across several agencies, each maintaining separate command structures, personnel, logistics, equipment, administrative systems and budgets to perform similar maritime safety and security functions.
These responsibilities include maritime law enforcement, search and rescue operations, environmental protection, border security, anti-smuggling activities and the protection of offshore infrastructure.
“This is the true duplication,” Ichaba stated.
“The real question is whether Nigeria should continue managing critical maritime responsibilities through fragmented institutions or establish a specialised agency capable of coordinating them effectively.”
Coast Guard Will Consolidate Maritime Responsibilities
The committee maintained that the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard is intended to consolidate related civil maritime responsibilities under a single operational structure rather than create another competing agency.
According to the PC-NCG, the new institution would operate with a unified command structure, a single statutory mandate and clear lines of accountability.
“The Coast Guard is not another competitor in the maritime sector. It is the fourth pillar,” the statement noted.
“It represents the institutional solution to decades of fragmented responsibilities, overlapping mandates, duplicated expenditure and diffused accountability.”
Nigeria Missing a Dedicated Coast Guard Institution
The committee further argued that although several agencies currently perform Coast Guard-related duties, Nigeria lacks a legally established institution solely dedicated to those responsibilities.
It said the absence of such an institution has weakened Nigeria’s international maritime profile despite the country’s extensive coastline, inland waterways, major seaports and offshore oil and gas infrastructure.
“The nation performs Coast Guard functions every day, yet has no Coast Guard institution to represent those responsibilities nationally or internationally,” the statement said.
“The functions exist. The institution does not.”
According to the committee, establishing the Coast Guard would improve operational efficiency, enhance professional specialisation, strengthen international cooperation and support Nigeria’s growing Blue Economy.
Committee Welcomes Senate Consultations
The PC-NCG welcomed the Senate’s decision to allow additional consultations on the bill and urged stakeholders to focus on structural reforms rather than perceptions surrounding the proposed agency.
“The Nigerian Coast Guard is not a duplication but a correction of duplication,” the statement concluded.
“It is not an expansion of bureaucracy but a rationalisation of existing structures. The duplication is the problem. The Coast Guard is the solution. The time has come for Nigeria to replace fragmented responsibility with unified accountability.”
