For Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the current Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), using double edged solution to fight both maritime thefts, land speculators and other natural and artificial phenomenon bedeviling the Nigerian Navy has singled him out as one of the patriotic disposition and stance in the service.
This was coming at a time when the Nigerian Navy is confronted with myriads of problems from multiple oil bunkering, sea piracy, landed and asset grabbing , as well as the activities of land grabbers across the country among other vices militating against its smooth operations.
In line with his new vision, he embarked on massive renovation of NN estates and quarters across the country, also built and commissioned new ones in many parts with the recent one in the Niger Delta of Rivers that had transformed rural communities to urban status.
Aside massive land development, acquisition and assets recovery, Ogalla had transformed the NN through gradual reforms of all facets, that positioned it adequately to ensure maritime safety and reduced to the barest minimum vices militating against its operations on the high sea.
On several occasions, NN had handed over illegal bunkerers, oil thieves , and drug barons to the appropriate quarters for prosecution and action by the relevant agencies.
The joint efforts by the NN, NNPCL and the private security charged with the monitoring of petroleum products had doused the incessant oil thefts, pipeline breakages among many other efforts of saboteurs both in the maritime and oil sector.
The recent laudable efforts of embarking on massive fencing of its over three decades massive hectares of plots of land located in the nations capital , Abuja, was the best thing that will happened to the Nigerian Navy.
The land sparsely located around Airport road corridor in the nation's city was allocated both to the Nigerian Military, Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Navy since the creation of the new Federal Capital Territory FCT, but being encroached by both indigenes and Nigerians at large.
The Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla's leadership did not only ensured the sustained efforts geared towards recovery of the NN sparse hectares of land in Abuja, but secured it through massive perimeter fencing ongoing from the University of Abuja end, with the demarcation between the Nigerian Army and the Airport road end between the Nigerian Air Force and The Nigerian Navy.
The laudable efforts initiated by Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla will not only protect the Navy assets, but National Assets that was seen as free land to Nigerians .
With the gradual movement and utilization of Nigerian Air Force on their large plot of land, separated by the Nigerian Navy at the center, and the Nigerian Army operating some of their departments on their land with gradual movement of their headquarters to the new location along airport road, no doubt, the NN will gradually begin efforts at developing similar mass movements on their land in the shortest possible time.
The efforts will not be made possible, if the encroached land was not recovered and secured as been carried out by the Naval leadership under Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, as the Chief of Naval Staff.
With the cost of land in the ever growing nation's capital, the dogged efforts and foresight of the Naval Chief at protecting the multi billion naira land been sold out by land grabbers , will reduce to the barest minimum the incidences of NN and it's land encroachment across the country.
The new strategy convened by the current Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla will bring succour to the Navy in its quest to resolve both office and residential accommodation bedeviling it in the shortest possible time.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF, on yus.abubbakar3@gmail.
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