The Federal Government will require $200 million to refit or $700 million to replace the Nigerian Navy Flagship (NNS) Aradu that is currently grounded, says the Senate.
The Red Chamber has urged the government to take over the naval ship as a presidential asset and resuscitate it for “national security, safety, and pride”.
They also resolved to summon a roundtable of stakeholders, including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), to re-fit and refurbish NNS Aradu to enable it to safeguard Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The suggestions of the Senate followed its consideration of a motion, titled: “Urgent need to resuscitate the Nigerian Navy Flagship NNS Aradu,” sponsored by Senator George Thompson Sekibo (Rivers East).
In his lead debate, Sekibo said the Senate regretted that “in 1994, NNS Aradu experienced degradation of machinery and equipment post-refit trials and was assessed as Beyond Economical Repair in 1995”.
The senator further gave a history of what the naval flagship had gone through to date and the need for national efforts to salvage it.
