*How Nigeria applied, the whole journey leading to final approval
With the United Nation’s approval of a further 20 nautical miles to Nigeria’s existing maritime boundary, the country has many gains that can replace its loss of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon
According to Garba Shehu, a former Spokesman to President Muhammadu Buhari, “With this, the country has gained additional territory without war or conflict of any sort, litigation, or purchase, as has never happened before in her lifetime. Initial surveys indicate that the added territory contains “unquantifiable resources,” that include huge oil and gas reserves.
While the nation must thank the dedication of the previous APC administration for how the country came this far, more is still expected of the Tinubu administration- one that has put in place a stand-alone ministry of Blue Economy given its significance -to bring home the expected benefits to the nation’s economy and national security.”
Below is the full piece
The unsung heroes of how Nigeria added territory without war, litigation
Garba Shehu
With the important announcement of the accession of the United Nations to the nation’s request for the extension of the country’s Continental Shelf a few days ago, no one should be in doubt any longer about the rising capacities of Nigeria in the emerging geopolitical equation, globally.
Chairman of the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, Adnan Rashid Nasser Al-Azri, who disclosed the development said following a successful submission, Nigeria’s continental shelf had now been extended from 200 nautical miles to 220 nautical miles.
The government of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu promptly acknowledged this and praised the UN for acceding to the nation’s request.
The continental shelf of a sovereign state comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin.
The effort to extend, as much as possible, Nigeria’s continental shelf began with a submission on 9th May 2009 following new rules of engagement by Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.
According to the Convention, the Littoral States that pass the test of appurtenance qualify to make applications backed by geological and geophysical data to the United Nations.
On that day, Nigeria submitted an extended Continental shelf to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, the UN body made up of twenty-one experts from all over the world charged with the responsibility of examining and approving all applications for an extended continental shelf. According to the country’s Ministry of Justice, Nigeria’s submission had teething problems right from the onset. The UN Subcommission appointed by the CLCS to consider Nigeria’s submission after its initial examination queried so many aspects, including the qualifier test of appurtenance, and requested more data and information to proceed with the consideration.
While it took nine years for the first submission to be made, the HPPC under Malami took exactly nine months to make an amended submission. Nigeria made considerable progress within this period to warrant a full CLCS plenary meeting in March 2023 for consideration and final approval of the submission. This then led to the approval of a further 20 nautical miles to the existing maritime boundary.
With this, the country has gained additional territory without war or conflict of any sort, litigation, or purchase, as has never happened before in her lifetime. Initial surveys indicate that the added territory contains “unquantifiable resources,” that include huge oil and gas reserves.
While the nation must thank the dedication of the previous APC administration for how the country came this far, more is still expected of the Tinubu administration- one that has put in place a stand-alone ministry of Blue Economy given its significance -to bring home the expected benefits to the nation’s economy and national security.
- Shehu is a former presidential spokesperson.