Tinubu Proposes New Security Force to Protect Gulf of Guinea

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has proposed the creation of a new security force to protect the waters off West Africa’s coast, known as the Gulf of Guinea.

The headquarters of the proposed maritime task force would be located in Lagos, Nigeria’s most populated city and economic centre.

According to Mr. Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who represented Tinubu at an African Union (AU) meeting in Ethiopia, the time has come for the African Union Peace and Security Council to prioritize the creation of a combined maritime task force for the Gulf of Guinea.

“I wish to announce that Nigeria would like to host the headquarters of the task force in Lagos,” he said.

In addition to the proposed security force, Nigeria has strengthened its role in African security by signing an agreement with the AU.

The agreement commits the Nigerian Navy to providing ships for peace operations, natural disaster response, humanitarian aid, and personnel transportation, with the AU covering the costs.

Nigeria’s Defense Minister Badaru Abubakar and AU Commissioner Bankole Adeoye signed the agreement.

Tinubu also highlighted growing security concerns across the Sahel region, linking many of these challenges to the ongoing turmoil in Libya.

He suggested leveraging a recent UN Security Council resolution to bolster AU peacekeeping efforts, noting: “It would not be out of place to explore the possibility of extending the inherent benefits of UN Security Council resolution 2719 to support AU peace support operations”.

Tinubu emphasized the importance of limiting the involvement of non-African military forces, including private military companies, in the continent’s security matters.