Nigeria ponders regional body to secure oil-rich Gulf of Guinea

A regional commission to guarantee security of oil and gas resources in west Africa's restive Gulf of Guinea would be set up, Nigeria's Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu has said.

The idea to create the commission was adopted at a meeting Thursday attended by Nigerian state governors and senior government officials in the capital Abuja, according to Nigeria's The Guardian daily on Friday.

"Particular attention was paid to the Gulf of Guinea and the need to establish the Gulf of Guinea Commission," Tinubu told reporters after the meeting.

"This commission should look at the need for various interventions in security, safety and preservation of the region to establish surveillance system and safeguard the region from all sorts of illegal bunkering activities," he added.

The commission would comprise Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo and Angola.

The Gulf of Guinea, which is believed to hold as much as 10 percent of the world's oil reserves, has been plagued by pirates, smugglers and other criminals.

The US government has repeatedly expressed its willingness to cooperate with nations in the region, including Nigeria, Africa's top oil producer, in monitoring the waters to secure the alternative oil source to the Middle East.

In January, a large US warship was sent there for multiple security training and maritime operations.

Source: Xinhua