NIGERIA's faulty radar needs to be replaced because it would US$20 million to $30 million to fix for the system that only cost $1.5 million.
Nigeria's radar system needs replacement to fight pirates looting oilNIGERIA's faulty radar needs to be replaced because it would US$20 million to $30 million to fix for the system that only cost $1.5 million.
That's what maritime risk consultant Martin Ewence told British MPs, adding that a new system was needed to track and trace suspicious movements to stop oil thefts in Nigerian waters.
A former Royal Navy commander, Mr Ewence has extensive experience dealing with fisheries protection and was most recently appointed as chief of staff to the NATO Counter Piracy Squadron in the Somali Basin.
Mr Ewence is also a member of the Maritime Security Working Group within the Security in Complex Environments Group, the UK government's industry partner for the regulation and accreditation of private security providers on land and at sea.
Although better surveillance is one part of dealing with the "twists, turns and interlocking parts of oil theft" it is not enough, he said, reported Lloyd's List.
Speaking at a parliament committee on security and human rights, Mr Ewence said the practice of outsourcing private security companies as the "de facto Nigerian Navy" had failed with the Nigerian people giving away ownership of these lucrative contracts.
According to Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, of Rivers State, the province does not have the power to allow armed guards onboard vessels and asked for international support in appealing to the Nigerian president for transparency. "The federal government does not care about piracy," he said.