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N-Delta - British, U.S., Country's Security Experts Meet Today

Vanguard (Lagos)

NEWS
25 March 2008
Posted to the web 25 March 2008

By Emma Ujah
Lagos
TOP American intelligence and military officers as well as their British
counterparts will, today, in Abuja, engage top Nigerian security chiefs under
the Gulf of Guinea Energy Security Strategy (GGESS) to explore fresh
initiatives towards ending militancy in the Niger Delta region, in particular,
and a secured business environment in the entire Gulf of Guinea.
GGESS was initiated by the Federal Government in 2005 as a collaborative effort
with key foreign governments to find a lasting solution to the security of oil
and gas supply from the Niger Delta. It is also to promote sustainable
development of the region in a climate of peace.
Sources said government took the step in the appreciation that the stability of
the region is crucial to sustainable economic development of the nation and
indeed those of other countries that share in the oil and gas resources in the
Gulf of Guinea.
If successfully implemented, the GGESS initiative is expected to be replicated
in other countries in the sub-region. The strategy seeks to build strong
partnerships between the Nigerian Government and foreign governments
interesteds in the co-ordinated effort to stamp out oil theft, illegal small
arms dealings and money laundering with particular emphasis on the Niger Delta.
At inception, the US Government collaborated with Nigeria in establishing the
GGESS. The United Kingdom which initially attended meetings as an observer
eventually joined the group as a full member. Nigerian representation to the
GGESS is drawn from the NNPC, the Nigerian military and the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The secretariat of the GGESS currently resides in the NNPC. As a result of the
achievements of the initiative, significant interest was shown by other nations
and international organisations.
The group now includes the Governments of Canada, France, Netherlands, Norway
and Switzerland. The group's development partners also include the USAID, DFID,
UNDP and the EU.
The GGESS has four work groups to facilitate the achievement of set objective:
the Small Arms Control, Maritime Security, Money Laundering and Sustainable
Development.
The Small Arms and Maritime Security Sub-Working Groups focus on developing and
deploying strategies aimed at controlling the proliferation of small arms and
the achievement of maritime domain awareness in the region to stem kidnappings,
pipeline vandalism and crude theft amongst others.
The Money Laundering Sub-Working Group works closely with the EFCC in ensuring
that Nigeria is rid of money laundering activities, thereby returning the
country to the path of transparency and accountability.
Working closely with USAID and DFID on Sustainable Development, the focus has
been to support implementation of strategies of state governments. The Group
has met eight times and the next meeting will be the 9th in the series and the
second in Nigeria.
Since its advent in May 2005, the GGESS Group has made meaningful progress in
terms of devising and implementing strategies in the key areas of activities.
In the area of Sustainable Development, the group achieved a significant
success in bringing on board the Governments of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and
Rivers States under the umbrella of the States Sustainable Development Strategy
(SSDS).

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