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Sections News Editorial/Opinion Cover Choice Arts & Life Business Politics Sports   Subscription Form Click here       Daily Independent Online.         * Friday,July 16, 2004. Watch US at the Gulf of Guinea, Akinyemi tells FG By Bimbo Kesington and Femi Ogbonnikan, Lagos.   Former External Affairs Minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has accused the Federal Government of deliberately ignoring the activities of the United States military in the Gulf of Guinea. In an address at the roundtable conference on South Atlantic as a Zone of Peace and Cooperation: Nigeria’s Economic interest, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos, Akinyemi said, “My interpretation is that the US is determined to establish a military and strategic presence in the Gulf of Guinea with minimum contribution by Nigeria. “It is not in Nigeria’s interest for anyone to establish a military and strategic capability in West Africa that will be beyond the capability of Nigeria to match.” Criticising the government for downplaying the magnitude of America’s military presence in the Gulf, Akinyemi said, “After initial denials, our minister of information said, “If they want to deploy a military vessel, it is their own business because the Gulf of Guinea is a very vast area. This view represents a rather restrictive structure as to what national security is all about.” Akinyemi who was a former Director-General of the NIIA, said Nigeria’s involvement in oil exploration with Sao Tome and Principe has already become a controversial factor in that country’s domestic policy. “Can we assume that there will be no disagreements in the future between Nigeria and Sao Tome?” he asked. Akinyemi noted that there is a need for the creation of a Coastal Guard to concentrate on the anti-piracy activities in Nigeria’s coastal waters, which include the provision of security for oil installations, on-shore and in coastal waters. He added that the Navy should be made to concentrate on the blue seas and be empowered to have the capability to maintain dominance in the contiguous zone and the exclusive economic zone, since “Nigeria does not need a coastal or ceremonial navy.”       Copyright� 2002. All Rights Reserved Independent Newspapers Limited Block5, Plot 7D, Wempco Road, Ogba, P.M.B. 21777, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. www.dailyindependentng.com e-mail: [email protected]

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