President Buhari will be commissionivg a Nigerian made seaward defence boat in December 2021.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Awwal Gambo, stated that his visit to the presidential villa, on Sunday, was to formerly invite the President Muhammadu to the unveiling of the indigenously built boat.
The boat is one of three being built by the Nigerian navy dockyard staff in Lagos.
According to the Chief of Naval Staff the boat “will add to the set of vessels that we have for the protection of the Nigerian maritime territory against piracy, sea robbery, illegal bunkering and all other maritime crimes”.
President Muhammadu Buhari in his response stated that the completion of the boat is an accomplishment the nation should be proud of.
“It prides us as a nation that we can build something from the scratch to finish, by our own shipyard. So, it is a thing of pride to us,” the president said.
Although Gambo did not disclose the cost of building the boat he however stated that it is cost-effective.
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“It is unlike when you get foreign vendors to build or to supply the ship. It’s saving a lot for the country and going forward, we are looking at doing more of that within the shortest possible time,” he said
Awwal disclosed that some countries have expressed interest in partnering with Nigeria in building and maintaining ships.
“We have the Democratic Republic of Congo, they are ready and willing to partner with us in shipbuilding and maintenance,” he said.
“We have Badagry shipyard that wants to build a shipyard in Badagry. They are also ready to partner with us in maintenance and construction and most of the countries in the West Coast are definitely going to patronise us.”
