The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, Thursday gave reason, the Nigerian Navy instituted a Naval base in Kano.
Gambo during an Open Ears Conference 2 averred that the Naval base in Kano was purely for administrative and operational reasons.
Explaining how it was moved from Owerrinta, somewhere within Aba and Owerri, Gambo said: “Let me use this opportunity to clarify that what the navy established in Kano is a logistic college. The granted logistics college have thrown up lots of reactions but it has also given us the opportunity to shed some light on our establishment across the nation and some of the programs that we have as far as developing capacity and civil authority in Nigeria is concern.
“For clarity, the Nigerian Navy has a Finance and Logistics college in Owerrinta, somewhere within Aba and Owerri. This College is responsible of training of personnels in the area of logistics and finance.
“But due to the growth and development imperatives, it was considered that the colleges should be separated and the logistics college is now move to Kano.
“ So what is established in Kano is logistics college and the finance college remain in Owerrinta. Before now, Owerrita is not only the land-lock location with a naval establishment. We also had provost and regulatory school in Makodi where we train our personnel in the area of Naval provost duties.
“I will also like to clarify that it is not only these basis that marked our presence in the North, the Nigerian Navy is deeply involved in the anti-insurgency, terrorism and also in the internal security operations across the North.
“In the North-East we have a joint taskforce, Operation Hadin Kai, the Navy has over 170 personnels that are fighting alongside the Army, and the Air-force to combat the threats that we face. Equally in the North-West where we have a joint task force on Operation Hadarin Daji, the Navy has more than 250 persons that are fighting to counter banditry and other issues of insecurity there.
In the North-central, we also have about 100 men working alongside our colleagues to combat banditry, kidnapping, and all the issues relating to insecurity. Operation save corridor, they are responsible for the management of surrendered terrorists and bandits are working alongside other government agencies. The Navy also is represented there.
“We have about 15 personnels working there. We also have our presence in operation save heaven, operation going on in the plateau. Then Southern Kaduna to combat issues relating to herders and farmers clashes. So it is not just Kano that we are present in the North, for about 10 years, we have been in the North-East. And since operations started in the North-West, we have been there. In the North-Central (Plateau) we have been there and all areas where we have security challenges.
(vanguard)