Edited by Blue Economy Magazine
ABUJA – Following the Senate President, His Excellency Senator Godswill Akpabio’s call for further consultations during the third reading of the Nigerian Coast Guard Bill, the Provisional Committee for the Proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) has issued a clarification on concerns regarding duplication of functions.
In a statement issued by the Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, on behalf of the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of PC-NCG, Captain Noah Ichaba Wednesday, the Committee said the consultation provides an opportunity to refocus the debate on facts, sound public policy, and the national interest.
“The evidence overwhelmingly supports this fact: duplication already exists. The Nigerian Coast Guard is designed to eliminate it,” the statement read.
The statement noted that since duplication of functions was one of the concerns raised by the Senate, it is clear that duplication has existed for decades.
Coast Guard duties have been distributed across numerous institutions. Each agency maintains its own command structure, personnel, logistics, equipment, administrative overhead, and budget to perform aspects of maritime safety, maritime security, law enforcement, environmental protection, search and rescue, border control, anti-smuggling operations, and the protection of maritime infrastructure.
“This is the true duplication,” Captain Ichaba stated. “The real question is whether Nigeria should continue managing critical maritime duties through fragmented and overlapping structures, or establish a dedicated institution to coordinate them effectively.”
A Reform, Not An Expansion:
According to PC-NCG, the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard does not create duplication. It is designed to eliminate it.
Rather than multiplying institutions, the Coast Guard will consolidate related civil maritime functions into a single specialized organization with one command structure, one operational doctrine, one statutory mandate, and one line of accountability.
“The Coast Guard is not another competitor in the maritime sector. It is the fourth pillar,” the statement added. “It is the institutional solution to decades of fragmented responsibilities, overlapping mandates, duplicated expenditure, and diffused accountability.”
Closing An Institutional Gap:
The Committee further noted that by dispersing Coast Guard duties among multiple agencies, Nigeria has unintentionally erased the institutional identity of one of the world’s most recognized maritime services.
“The nation performs Coast Guard functions every day, yet has no Coast Guard institution to represent those responsibilities nationally or internationally. The functions exist. The institution does not. The duties are performed. The identity is absent. Three of the four pillars are active, but the fourth is absent.”
As a result, Nigeria forfeits administrative efficiency, professional specialization, international visibility, and the strategic advantages that accompany a legally established Coast Guard.
For a nation with one of Africa’s largest coastlines, extensive inland waterways, major seaports, offshore oil and gas infrastructure, and a rapidly expanding Blue Economy, the absence of a dedicated Coast Guard diminishes Nigeria’s maritime standing.
The Path Forward:
PC-NCG welcomed the Senate’s commitment to further consultation and urged that discussions focus on existing structural realities, not merely on the name of the institution.
“The Nigerian Coast Guard is not a duplication, but a correction of duplication. It is not an expansion of bureaucracy, but a rationalization of it. It is not an additional burden on public finance, but a structural reform that promises greater efficiency, stronger accountability, better coordination, and more prudent use of public resources,” the statement concluded.
“The duplication is the problem. The Coast Guard is the solution. The time has come for Nigeria to replace fragmented responsibility with unified accountability.”
