Senate urges Presidency to takeover, resuscitate navy’s largest ship

The Senate on Wednesday urged the Presidency to takeover and resuscitate the largest ship in the Nigerian Navy fleet, NNS ARADU. 

It said the resuscitation of the navy’s flagship, expected to gulp N82bn, had become imperative for national security, safety and pride. 

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The Senate also resolved to convoke a roundtable of stakeholders such as the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Administration, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Nigeria Customs Service and the  Nigerian Immigration Service to fashion out a funding regime to facilitate the refitting and refurbishing of the Navy flagship in servicing Nigeria’s maritime domain. 

 This followed a motion by Senator George Thompson Sekibo and 14 others. 

 The general-purpose frigate with a length of 125.6 metres, was commissioned in 1982. 

Sekibo said since NNS ARADU entered Nigerian Navy service, it has taken part in major naval exercises, fleet reviews and diplomatic cruises and played a prominent part in ‘Operation Seadog’ in 1985 and Operation Odion in 1987.