FG SET TO EXTEND NIGERIA'S MARITIME BOUNDARY

The National Boundary Commission has disclosed plans to extend Nigeria's Exclusive Economic Zone by 150 nautical miles.

The Director-General of the commission, Alhaji Sadiq Diggi, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja, said that the extension would, however, be subject to the approval of the United Nations.

He said the intended additional 150 nautical miles, through the commission's proposal extending 'the Continental Shelf Project,' would push Nigeria's maritime boundary from its entitled 200 to 350 nautical miles.

Diggi said, 'Initially, Nigeria had 200 nautical miles as its Exclusive Economic Zone, so what we are trying to do is to extend it by 150 kilometres so that we can have 350 nautical miles all to ourselves.

'The benefit of this is that all ships coming through that area must come under our authority. And we are going to be in control of all mineral exploitations and fishery resources.

'Also, we are going to be very safe in the event that oil is discovered somewhere above 200 nautical miles away; it will still be in our territory.''

He also said that once finance and logistics were in place, the commission hoped to continue with its demarcation exercise along Nigeria's internal boundaries.

He said that Nigeria had been able to successfully negotiate, resolve and demarcate international boundary issues with its neighbours.

The international boundaries include Nigeria/Niger; Nigeria/Benin; Nigeria/Equatorial Guinea; Nigeria/Sao Tome and Principe; and Nigeria/Cameroon.