The Nigeria Navy has said majority of its personnel, including senior and junior officers do not know how to swim, hence its decision to embark on compulsory training in swimming for officers and ratings nationwide in a determination to improve personnel proficiency at sea and waterway operations.
The flag officer commanding, Naval Training Command, Rear Admiral Goddy Anyankpele, disclosed this yesterday in his speech at the flag-off of the first annual intra-command swimming competition, at Onne, Rivers State.
He said the move at instituting mandatory swimming for its service members was borne out of the need to reduce potential accidents and personnel casualties during operations.
He said, “The first annual intra-command swimming competition training was informed by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin’s observation that a good number of our personnel do not know how to swim.
“This observation means that a sailor without being a swimmer or who at best keeps afloat during emergency at sea is equivalent to someone attempting to commit suicide. The CNS recognizing this risk has directed that henceforth, all personnel must know how to swim; and should obtain a certificate of proficiency.”
The flag officer commanding stated that the training would boost sailors’ confidence, fearlessness, courage, and survival instincts at sea to better confront emerging security threats at the nation’s territorial waters.
He said the navy would sustain the training programme until all service members and trainees were adequately trained.
In a related development, the Nigeria Navy has taken delivery of two brand-new ‘sailing boats’ for the training of trainees at the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School (NNBTS), in Onne.
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