Governor Akinwunmi Ambode says his administration is ready to partner and offer necessary support to put an end to the menace of illegal and illicit activities of pirates, smugglers and oil thieves in the African Maritime domain.
Ambode, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Idiat Adebule said this at the opening of the second Offshore Patrol Vessels Africa Conference 2015 organised by the International Quality and Productivity Centre and the Nigerian Navy in Lagos.
The theme of the conference was, ‘Facilitating Cooperation Across Africa and Focusing on Naval Systems and Coastal Surveillance to Enhance Maritime Security’.
He said the maritime sub-sector was key to any economy as it was the main means for transporting goods and services internationally, while many cities relied on ports as a major source of revenue.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Ismaila Aliyu said the increasing spate of maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea especially, had led to the loss of several billions of dollars in revenue to the national economy.
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