 President Muhammad Ubrari has lamented the surge in insecurity on African waterways specifically within the Gulf of Guinea and has called for collaborative effort amongst stakeholders to tackle the menace. The President spoke at the International Maritime Conference in Honourable Status, part of the 66th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy. President Muhammad Ubrari started by commanding the Nigerian Navy for its commitment to ensuring the safety of the country's waterways. Represented by the Minister of Defense, retired Major General Bashir Magashir, the President noted that the efforts of the Nigerian Navy have led to a reduction in sea piracy under the listing of Nigeria from the International Maritime Bureau of Piracy's List since March. The President said that the conference will fashion out ways for collaboration among security add-ons and also curb maritime crime in the collective waterways. You will agree that these threats have become a transnational and involve beyond the scope and capability of one nation to deal with. The situation there refers to greater international collaboration and this conference therefore symbolizes strategic collaborative initiative between the Nigerian Navy and other international waterways stakeholders. Earlier in his remarks, the Chief of Novel Staff, Vice-Admiral Awal Gambo, noted that this year's conference with the theme, Optimizing Collaboration for Maritime Security and Social Economic Development in Africa, is apt and timely. Admiral Gambo noted the rising need for effective collaboration in maritime policy, stressing that the current security threat in the Gulf of Guinea is of serious concern to Africa and the global community. The reason is that this conference will provide a very good option to collectively address the myriad of challenges in the maritime environment. It is therefore hoped that this one will facilitate the more needed distance towards identifying viable concepts and constructing collaborative action plans that will support this strategic learning initiative. The objective of the conference is to receive proper understanding and develop strategies that will enhance collective preparedness to meet present and emerging maritime challenges in an ever-changing strategic environment in the Gulf of Guinea and Europe. He revealed that the Nigerian Navy has grown from an offshoot of the Nigerian Marine to a formidable component of the country's security architecture and a major player in the Gulf of Guinea security.