NNS Thunder, the renamed warship which the United States donated to Nigeria in May this year, is now headed to Lagos, after a flag-off ceremony Monday afternoon in Alameda, California, where the Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada and top Naval officials disclosed that it will be deployed to the Gulf of Guinea on arrival to help fight piracy.
Obada who was guest of honour at the ceremony in the U.S. Coast Guard based in California, noted that the grant of the ship which used to be known as US Chase and its final sail to Nigeria, "marks an important step in U.S. military assistance to Nigeria."
According to her, the ship "will be of immense assistance in our efforts at curbing the threat and insecurity on our waters." She recalled that earlier, four U.S. ships called Boy Tenders donated to Nigeria about a decade ago, are now "of immense assistance in curbing security challenges on our waters."
In a similar vein, Rear Admiral James Bamidele Oladimeji, the Nigerian Navy Chief of Policy and Planning disclosed that the Ship "will be the most sophisticated ship on the Gulf of Guinea."
Oladimeji also said the ship will be deployed to patrol Nigerian waters, providing significant help in dealing with the problem of piracy on the Gulf of Guinea as soon as it arrives in Nigeria.
The Rear Admiral who represented the Chief of Naval Staff, added that the ship should arrive in Nigeria in the first week of January 2012.
Obada thanked the Americans for their support for the Nigerian Navy. "On behalf of the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, we wish to thank the U.S. government for her continued support to Nigeria in general and military in particular." According to her, this "will be a beginning of many good things to come between both of our countries."
The U.S. government through its domestic homeland security agency, US. Coast Guards had in May handed over the huge ship over to Nigeria, but repair and updating work on the vessel had been going on since then culminating in the departure of the ship and its 150-man crew to Nigeria on Monday. Three U.S. engineers are also on board the ship on its voyage to Lagos.
According to the minister, the U.S. government had initiated the grant of the ship to Nigeria last year in a letter of offer. The Nigerian Ambassador, Prof. Ade Adefuye formally received the ship on behalf of the Federal Government.
Obada said work done on the ship between then and now include replacing its communication fixtures, repainting the ship and training the crew on manning and sailing on the ship.
Altogether, repair work on the ship was estimated in May at about $8 million by U.S. Coast Guard officers. But Nigerian Naval officers on Monday in California said more areas of repair and fixtures were later discovered and added to the work already done to put the ship in top form.
Addressing the Nigerian crew before they sailed off from U.S., Obada, who was sometimes emotional, praised the naval officers and ratings some of whom, according to her, have been away from their homes since February this year.
"Nigeria is proud of you," she said to the crew, while equally appreciating the U.S. officials and Coast Guard officers who facilitated the transfer, the training and the updating of the ship.
NNS Thunder, said to be second to NNS Aradu, Nigeria's flagship in size and ability, is expected to arrive in Lagos by January 5. The Commanding Officer of the ship, Navy Captain Muhammad Baba Nagenu said during its 50-day journey to Nigeria, NNS Thunder will branch off at Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Senegal and Ghana before reaching Lagos.
The Guardian