Let me start by congratulating the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral IE Ibas, officers, ratings and civilian staff for sustaining shipbuilding programme in the Nigerian Navy (NN). Before the commissioning of new ships that were recently added to the Fleet of the (NN), there was a 2-day Naval Engineering Seminar which took place at the Conference Center, Naval Dockyard Limited, Victoria Island, from 12-13 December 2016. The Theme of the seminar was “Re-invigorating NN Maintenance System for Enhanced Operational Readiness.” The seminar brought naval personnel, serving and retired, as well as experts from the maritime industry and the academia together.
Three papers were presented during the seminar: Engineering Support Infrastructure as an Enabler for Effective Maintenance of NN Fleet; Effective Technical Manpower Development as a Tool for Maintenance of NN Fleet; and Appraisal of Engineering Practices and Procedures as a Tool for Enhanced Operational Readiness. I was privileged to present the paper titled “Effective Technical Manpower Development as a Tool for Maintenance of NN Fleet.” Those of us who have the rare privilege of defending Nigeria from the sea, know that there are challenges confronting our navy in the development of its technical manpower capacity in austere times. Inadequacies in technical manpower development have to be addressed squarely irrespective of economic obstacles as the NN increases the size of its fleet with sophisticated warships and auxiliary vessels.
Having lived and observed the power of the sea for more than 3 decades, I acknowledge respectfully that God is an engineer because the oceans and the seas cover about 75 percent of the earth’s surface. While about 97 percent of the earth’s water is equally from the seas. Anything that was not created by God was made by engineers. For a navy that seeks to have effective technical manpower as a tool for maintenance of its fleet, its engineers must be well trained and motivated. If there were no engineers, there would be no warships. Perhaps, there would be no Nigerian Navy with frigates, Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), Mine Counter Measure Vessels and helicopters. My dream as a naval engineer and retired two-star admiral will be actualized if the NN builds ships locally such as frigates, destroyers, and aircraft carriers. Anytime the NN builds an aircraft carrier, I will request the CNS to permit me to be an observer from the keel laying assembly through to the launching of the vessel.
The navy worldwide is connected by the seas. And I am enormously pleased to be part of the navy family worldwide. Being a naval engineer gives me great pleasure. Naval engineering “is a field of study and expertise including engineering, science and technology, as applied in research, development, design, construction, operations, maintenance, and logistics support of surface or subsurface ships, boats, aircraft, including manned and autonomous vehicles, used by a navy in defence of the nation’s territorial waters.” Going by this definition, naval engineering is complex and the NN must continuously build capacity.
One of the hope-inspiring events in the history of the NN in recent times, is its shipbuilding efforts. I strongly share the same view with some maritime experts that “if we can construct a warship, we can equally maintain her.” In 2007, Nigerian Naval engineers led by the then Chief of Naval Engineering, Rear Admiral GJ Jonah, conceptualized researched and developed the first indigenous 31meters Seward Defence Boat, NNS ANDONI. The CNS then, Vice Admiral GTA Adekeye, keyed into this vision, and the NN has sustained this laudable endeavor.
Thank goodness, NNS ANDONI, the first indigenous patrol craft, is riding the waves since 2012. This is now followed by NNS KARADUWA, a Seward Defence Boat (SDB); and CDR EE UGWU, a tug boat, which are recently built in Nigeria. These ships and the Chinese-built Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), NNS UNITY, were commissioned on 15 December 2016 by President Buhari. Who says “Nigerian engineers are not good enough.” Nigerian naval engineers like their peers in developed nations know what to do and they have the capacity to deliver when tasked.If maintenance efforts are not yielding expected results in 2016, it is not because maintenance is difficult when compared with shipbuilding, after all, basic engineering theories remain the same. The problems of ships’ maintenance are most times, man-made.
Manpower development is a human capital function. It is responsible for developing skills, knowledge and competence of any organization’s asset, that is people, in order to meet current and future business requirements. The question you may ask is: what is the NN’s current and future business requirements? The answer is simple- to meet the constitutional roles of the NN as reflected inthe 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Specifically, Part 1, Section 1, Sub-Sections 3 and 4 of the Act amplifies NN statutory responsibilities as follows:
“Defence of Nigeria by sea; enforcing and assisting in coordinating the enforcement of all Customs laws including anti-illegal bunkering, fishery and immigration laws of Nigeria at sea; enforcing and assisting in coordinating the enforcement of national and international maritime laws ascribed or acceded to by Nigeria, promoting, coordinating and enforcing safety regulations in the territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ); and making of charts and coordinating of all national hydrographic surveys”.
Very huge responsibilities. A navy that is able to develop skills and knowledge of its personnel, and utilize them effectively in performing statutory functions would be operationally effective. Manpower development must continuously forecast, project and analyze future manpower requirements. All participants at the seminar agreed that the NN must intensify efforts in sustaining its shipbuilding programs, while ensuring that our naval engineers and technicians are further exposed to equipment manufacturers’ training. With the recent commissioning of these indigenously-built ships, the NN has projected and guaranteed the prestige of Nigeria as a naval force to be reckoned with, in West Africa and beyond. I wish all my colleagues in the NN fair winds and following seas. Thank you!
MA Johnson
