Nigeria to expand maritime territory without war, litigation

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria’s bid to expand its maritime territory, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), will be achieved without ‘‘war, litigation or purchase.’’

He spoke Tuesday while receiving a progress report from the High-Powered Presidential Committee on Nigeria’s Extended Continental Shelf Project.

He said he looked forward to the day he could announce to Nigerians that additional maritime territory had been approved for Nigeria by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Buhari, according to a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, told the committee chaired by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, that this type of project where Nigeria would gain additional territory without conflict had never happened before.

‘‘I’m therefore glad that it’s happening within our lifetime. It’s my intention to support the submission to the United Nations for additional maritime area in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to claim for Nigeria every bit of space that she deserves under UNCLOS.

‘‘It’s pleasing to know that most wars that have taken place in the world since time immemorial including present times have always been territorial, and Nigeria has this one and only chance to gain territory without war, litigation, or purchase more so when this territory lies within the area dubbed as ‘the Golden Triangle’ in the Gulf of Guinea, which contains unquantifiable resources some of which have not even been discovered.’’