Rear Adm. Ayo Olugbode, President, Nigerian Hydrographic Society (NHS) and Hydrographer of the Navy, has called for collaboration among stakeholders to optimise the nation’s blue economy potential.
Olugbode made the call in Lagos while addressing members of the society in a seminal aimed at advancing the hydrography profession in the country.
He assured members of his commitment to moving NHS to greater heights.
The navy hydrographer affirmed the support of the Chief of the Naval Staff towards improving Nigeria’s hydrographic capacity for improved maritime safety and security.
A statement by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, said that part of the interactions centered on deepening multidimensional collaboration within hydrography professional clusters and cohorts.
It said the gathering provided a platform to rekindle the commitment and enthusiasm of NHS members and concerned stakeholders in the development of the functional and operational knowledge of hydrography.
It emphasised the need for hydrographers to play their critical role toward enhancing Nigeria’s maritime aspirations, particularly with the recent establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine Resources and Blue Economy.
“Basically, the key issues at the event revolved around the need to restructure and rebrand NHS for enhanced hydrographic service delivery in Nigeria.
“It was also agreed that there’s the need to improve NHS’ visibility on social media platforms with a view for NHS to become more proactive in hydrographic advocacy in Nigeria and within the wider Gulf of Guinea sub-Region.
“Additionally, proposals were made for NHS’ 2024 Fiscal Year, making it imperative for members to resolve all outstanding issues before the end of December 2023.
“In view of this, plans were also concluded on the need to hold an NHS Annual General Meeting sometime in 2024.
“Different responsibilities were thus given to members towards building collective approaches on how to move the Society forward, with clearly defined expected timelines and deliverables,” it said.
Ayo-Vaughan said the participants agreed that the event would become a significant turning point for the society.
He added that robust plans had been articulated to usher in a new era of dedication and commitment to quality hydrographic service delivery in Nigeria to forge a resilient, progressive and united NHS.
(NAN)