By Our Correspondent <\/p>\n
In a bid to strengthen its military headships in parts of the country, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER in Rivers State has witnessed a change of leadership as Commodore Mutalib Ibikunle Raji formally assumed duty as the 33rd Commander.<\/p>\n
Commodore Raji took over from Rear Admiral Cajethan Aniaku who formally handed over command after eighteen (18) months of steady operational leadership at the strategic Naval Base in the heart of Port Harcourt, Capital of the oil rich Rivers State.<\/p>\n
The handing-over and taking-over ceremony, held at the Commander\u2019s Office marked the end of Rear Admiral Aniaku’s tenure as the 32nd Commander and the beginning of a new era, and a formal signing of transition notes and the transfer of the Ship\u2019s Flag and Staff of Office.<\/p>\n
In his valedictory remarks, the outgoing Commander, Rear Admiral Aniaku, expressed deep gratitude to officers, ratings, civilian staff and media for their unwavering support, noting that their collective commitment underpinned the achievements of his tenure. <\/p>\n
Rear Admiral Aniaku urged all personnel to extend the same loyalty and dedication to his successor, Commodore Raji, expressing confidence that he will sustain and even surpass existing standards at NNS\u202fPATHFINDER as the new Commander.<\/p>\n
He expressed confidence in his successor\u2019s ability to sustain and surpass existing standards and achievements at the NNS Pathfinder.<\/p>\n
In his assumption speech, the new Commander, NNS PATHFINDER, Commodore Mutalib\u202fIbikunle\u202fRaji thanked the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas (Admiralty Medal), for the trust and confidence placed in him. <\/p>\n
Commodore Raji praised his predecessor’s achievements and pledged to consolidate on the gains while maintaining a high operational readiness in line with the the CNS\u2019s vision, mission, and Command philosophy, anchored on professionalism, discipline, teamwork, operational excellence and providing robust logistic and maintenance support, enabling effective command and control as well as base security while supporting inter-agency cooperation.<\/p>\n
He emphasised on strict compliance with operational directives aimed at addressing prevailing security challenges and protecting all government’s critical assets in the NNS Pathfinder’s area of responsibility to boost the nation’s economy. <\/p>\n
Commodore Raji highlighted the strategic position of NNS\u202fPATHFINDER in discharging the Nigerian Navy\u2019s constitutional roles, particularly in maritime security, coastal defence, and maintenance of law and order within the maritime domain. <\/p>\n
He vowed to tackle crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, piracy, and other maritime crimes shall continue to receive the highest operational priority, and averred that NNS\u202fPATHFINDER under his watch will not relent in upholding the Nigerian Navy\u2019s mandate to secure the maritime environment.<\/p>\n
He added that his administration will maintain open-door leadership style, prioritize personnel welfare and sustain existing welfare programmes and professional development, enhance living and work conditions within available resources, and provide opportunities for continuous learning and training. <\/p>\n
He also pledged to intensify intelligence-led operations, improve inter-agency collaboration, and enhance surveillance and patrol efforts to deny criminal elements freedom of action within the waters.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cI am fully aware of the responsibilities this Command entails and the high standards expected of us as representatives of the Nigerian Navy.<\/p>\n
“NNS PATHFINDER will remain steadfast in contributing to the attainment of the CNS\u2019s vision and mission by ensuring and maintaining high operational readiness, providing robust logistic and maintenance support, enabling effective command and control as well as base security while supporting inter-agency cooperation.<\/p>\n
“Our area of responsibility remains pivotal to the nation\u2019s maritime economy and security. Therefore, the fight against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, piracy, and other maritime crimes shall continue to receive the highest operational priority. <\/p>\n
“We shall improve inter-agency collaboration, enhance surveillance and patrol efforts to deny criminal elements freedom of action within our waters, as well as upholding the Nigerian Navy\u2019s mandate to secure our maritime environment and protect critical national assets in support of Nigeria\u2019s economic stability.”<\/p>\n
He urged officers and ratings to uphold the core values of the Nigerian Navy with all loyalty and professionalism be mission-oriented, stating that discipline will be firm but fair in his administration while performance will be recognized and rewarded accordingly. <\/p>\n
He solicited the cooperation, support, and prayers of everyone as they move forward together, so that NNS\u202fPATHFINDER will continue to stand out as a model within the Nigerian Navy. <\/p>\n
“The challenges within our maritime environment require synergy, mutual trust, and shared commitment. We will, therefore, sustain an active posture of collaboration, professionalism, and respect in all our engagements, continue to strengthen cooperation with sister security agencies, maritime stakeholders, and host communities, and also intensify intelligence-led operations,” while ensuring that NNS PATHFINDER remains a symbol of national service, discipline, and integrity.<\/p>\n
“As I assume this command, I do so with full awareness of the expectations of the Nigerian Navy and the nation at large. <\/p>\n
“I pledge to discharge my duties with honour, courage, and total commitment to the service of our fatherland. Together, we shall uphold the Chief of the Naval Staff\u2019s Strategic Directives, sustain the fight against all forms of maritime crimes, safeguard our maritime domain, and ensure that NNS PATHFINDER continues to stand as a formidable force in support of national security and economic prosperity. I solicit the cooperation, support, and prayers of everyone as we move forward together. <\/p>\n
“Let us remain professional, disciplined, and mission-oriented in all our undertakings, so that Nigerian Navy Ship PATHFINDER will continue to stand out as a model within the Nigerian Navy. All standing orders, regulations, and instructions remain in effect.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Our Correspondent In a bid to strengthen its military headships in parts of the country, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER in Rivers State has witnessed a change of leadership as Commodore Mutalib Ibikunle Raji formally assumed duty as the 33rd Commander. Commodore Raji took over from Rear Admiral Cajethan Aniaku who formally handed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[672,603,5654],"class_list":["post-11089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news","tag-leadership","tag-operational","tag-steady"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11091,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11089\/revisions\/11091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}