The Ambassador of Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe, the Ambassador Carlos Moreno, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Brigadier General Joao Pedro Gomes Cravid have paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla seeking for an improved bilateral relationship.
Specifically, Ambassador Carlos Moreno highlighted improving relationship in the area of Joint Maritime Patrols, Training and Equipment Holding between the two navies.
The visit, which took place at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday, 27th August, 2025, the Ambassador was glad for the opportunity to formally meet the Vice Admiral Ogalla having been in Nigeria for the past one year.
They traced the history of bilateral relations between Sao Tome and Principe and Nigeria to decades of cooperation. Carlos Moreno observed that the presence of São Tomé CDS at the African Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference in Abuja presented the opportunity for them to visit the CNS.
Responding, Vice Admiral Ogalla thanked both the Ambassador and the CDS for taking the time to visit and agreed that the relationship between both nations could be further strengthened.
He stated that the geo-location of São Tomé within Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was strategic to the enhancement of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, and directed that necessary steps be taken to explore the areas where cooperation could be improved.
In the entourage of the Ambassador was Rear Admiral Harry Ngonadi (rtd) of the Nigerian Navy.
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