Nigerian Coast Guard Bill: PC-NCG Exposes Misconceptions Behind Opposition
The Provisional Committee of the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) has stated that its findings reveal a deliberate resolve by vested interests to retain control of Nigeria’s maritime sector at the expense of transparency and national interest.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo quoted the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of PC-NCG, Capt. Noah Ichaba, as saying that arguments against the creation of the Nigerian Coast Guard contradict verifiable operational realities on the ground.
Capt. Ichaba explained: “What is often presented as a legal impossibility is, in reality, a question of political feasibility and executive cooperation, which the bill did not lack. The Nigerian Coast Guard Bill is not a private bill in the true legislative sense; it is a public, national-security bill whose subject matter transcends individual or sectional interests.”
He noted that the bill’s classification as a private member’s bill relates only to its sponsorship, not to its substance, scope, or constitutional relevance. “For better maritime governance, it is a national imperative, not a private initiative,” he said.
Citing the findings and recommendations of Senior Executive Course 47 (2025) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Capt. Ichaba said that from the report, it is clearly deducible that the absence of a Coast Guard Agency is a critical institutional gap that must be addressed without delay.
“The continued absence of a Coast Guard would render any claim to maritime security indefensible and contrary to Nigeria’s maritime interests. This is especially so, given that the Federal Government has established the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and formulated a national policy on marine and blue economy,” he stated.
PC-NCG called on relevant authorities, stakeholders, and the general public to consider these findings in the pursuit of sound policy decisions. It urged that self-serving claims inconsistent with administrative, legislative, legal, and traditional practices be discarded to enhance national maritime safety, security, and environmental protection.
“PC-NCG has conducted a comprehensive analysis of all arguments against the creation of the proposed agency and found that they are largely based on misconceptions of what the Coast Guard is and does,” the statement read.
The Facilitation Committee emphasized that continued opposition is inconsistent with Nigeria’s maritime advancement, national honour, and global reputation. It called for an objective appraisal of the evidence-based reasons why further opposition should be laid to rest.
“This action is intended to end the recurring pattern of coordinated, bad-faith resistance that has consistently impeded the establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard whenever the enabling bill is introduced,” it said.
PC-NCG called for immediate and decisive action to remove obstacles delaying the agency’s establishment. It clarified that no constitutional provision prohibits a private member’s bill from providing for legislation that is in national interest, emphasizing that legislative validity rests on passage and assent, not on the bill’s sponsorship.
