The United States may still have the world’s most powerful navy but it seems to have realised that this is no longer sufficient to reassert US supremacy over the high seas.

If President Donald Trump’s pronouncements on shipbuilding, the Panama Canal and Greenland are anything to go by, he wants to increase US sea power on several fronts – just as China is already doing.

Beijing’s expanding influence on the world’s oceans is a challenge to Washington’s efforts to protect its interests.

While the United States still dominates the seas militarily, it is weaker in other maritime sectors, such as merchant shipping and shipbuilding itself, analysts told AFP.

Trump told the US Congress last week that his administration would “resurrect” the country’s nautical construction industry “including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding”.

On China, he has complained that Beijing “controls” the Panama Canal and has refused to rule out military force to wrest control of a vital strategic asset.

The president has been equally blunt about wanting to take over Greenland, a Danish territory whose untapped mineral and oil reserves he covets.

And he wants to tax any Chinese vessel that docks in US ports.

Researcher Sophie Quintin, of Portsmouth University in the UK, said Trump’s approach smacked of a return to “navalism” — a theory stressing the importance of sea power espoused by 19th-century US naval officer Alfred Mahan.

On the other hand, Trump might just be appealing to his populist voter base, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) faithful.

“It’s difficult to know if it’s the fruit of a real strategic reflection,” said Alessio Patalano, a specialist in maritime strategy at King’s College, London.

“In the end, it doesn’t matter. Serving the interests of MAGA voters by restarting naval shipyards or taxing Chinese boats leads to a navalist policy.”

– Chinese sea power –

In any case, China understands the importance of sea power, said Nick Childs of Britain’s International Institute for Strategic Studies.

At a Paris conference last month, Childs pointed to China’s rapid expansion in maritime sectors other than its own navy.

“There are the investments we’ve been hearing about in global ports, global maritime infrastructure and the weaponising of the fishing fleet,” he said.

Washington is concerned by the expansion of Chinese shipping companies, which they see as serving the interests of the Beijing government.

“Beijing’s economic control of port operations at strategic chokepoints across the world — many of which are part of the Maritime Silk Road initiative — pose a threat to the United States and its allies,” opined US think tank the Jamestown Foundation in February.

It cited in particular two state-owned firms, COSCO and China Merchant Ports.

Beijing could also exert “significant influence” on a third, the privately owned Hutchison Port Holdings, which controls two ports on the Panama Canal, it said.

But Paul Tourret, of France’s Higher Institute of Maritime Economics (ISEMAR), cautioned against too “simplistic” a reading of China’s maritime policy.

“COSCO, for example, follows a financial logic. It merely delivers to the United States the goods that Americans consume,” he said.

Nevertheless, pressure from Washington seems to have had some effect.

Hutchison announced last week it had agreed to sell its lucrative Panama Canal ports to a US-led consortium, although it insisted this was a “purely commercial” decision.

– Gaps in US presence –

While the United States may have the world’s most powerful navy, its merchant fleet is not in such good shape, said Quintin.

“US shipping companies have significantly declined and what remains of its commercial fleet is ageing,” she said.

“That has repercussions for its strategic fleet,” she added, referring to civilian ships used for military transport.

“Furthermore, the shipbuilding sector is in crisis.”

Tourret agreed: “There’s no way the US can build ships quickly.”

“The problem with US shipbuilding is that they don’t have the know-how of the Japanese and Koreans, and they don’t have the scale of the Chinese, who churn ships out like biscuits,” added Patalano.

“When Europe is one year behind on a military programme, the US is three or four years late,” said a European industry source on condition of anonymity.

Trump’s avowed desire to seize control of Greenland and Canada can also be viewed as a bid to regain US dominance over the seas.

Global heating is melting Arctic ice at an alarming rate, endangering natural ecosystems and contributing to further climate change.

But that melting could also open up the region to vessels – both commercial and military – and to oil and mineral exploration.

Those prospects have not been lost on China, Russia or the United States.

“The Arctic space will become increasingly important for power projection, especially for missile-launching submarines,” said Patalano, who sees these as “an essential component of deterrence”.

Here again, “the United States is lagging behind”, said Quintin.

“While China is capable of deploying three icebreakers, the US Coast Guard struggles to keep its two ageing vessels in service,” she said.

AFP

Major opposition parties have warned President Bola Tinubu not to be swayed by the recent vote of confidence he received from governors and top figures of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

In separate interviews with Sunday Punch, opposition parties argued that such endorsement was mere political theatrics and would not influence Nigerians, many of whom are still grappling with the effects of Tinubu’s economic reforms.

Naija News reports that the APC NEC passed a vote of confidence on Tinubu last Wednesday, with former national chairman, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, seconding the motion for Tinubu’s second-term endorsement.

Oshiomhole based his conviction on the President’s economic policies, which he claimed were beginning to yield results.

PDP: APC’s NEC Endorsement Is A ‘Sham’

Reacting to the endorsement, the Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Abdullahi, described the APC NEC as a “sham” arrangement, insisting that the ruling party is in deep crisis.

“There is no need to waste one’s time responding to any believer in the APC as presently constituted, not to talk of their NEC that was a sham. How many followers of APC or critical stakeholders were even in attendance?” Abdullahi questioned.

He further claimed that many key APC members had lost faith in the party, following the “atrocious” eight years of Buhari and the “demonic” two years of Tinubu.

“The cumulative 10 years of suffering under the APC has been harsh on Nigerians, and there is no way they will contemplate voting for the APC again in 2027. In the first place, they were not truly elected in 2023. We all know how they got power at all costs,” he added.

Labour Party: APC Focused On Power, Not Governance

The Labour Party (LP) also dismissed the APC’s confidence in securing victory in 2027, saying it was too early to predict the outcome of the election.

Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, criticised Tinubu for focusing on re-election rather than fixing the economy.

“The APC only has one candidate—the President—so they have no choice but to begin to echo his chances. But we, as an opposition party, would rather wait for INEC to come up with their proposals before we start discussing 2027,” Ifoh stated.

He argued that the APC should focus on governance rather than electioneering, saying the endorsement was premature.

“This government has not even reached two years in office. How can they start talking about 2027 when they have yet to fulfil the 2023 mandate? It just shows the APC is about grabbing power, not improving the lives of Nigerians. People are still suffering, and things are getting worse,” he added.

Ifoh also called on INEC to caution political parties against premature election campaigns.

APC: Tinubu’s Fate Lies In Voters’ Hands

Responding to the opposition’s remarks, APC Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Duru, dismissed their criticisms, insisting that Tinubu’s re-election bid would be determined by his achievements.

“It is our scorecard that we will present to Nigerians. The opposition cannot decide whether the President should return in 2027—that is the job of the voters.”

Duru further stated that the APC’s track record would be the basis for judgment, not criticisms from “disillusioned political elements.”

“At the end of the day, we will present our achievements, and Nigerians will judge us. No one individual can dictate electoral behaviour,” he said.

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and Prophet Umueke Miracle, leader of the Dynamic Flame of Fire and Miracle Ministries in Port Harcourt, have agreed to a live demonstration of miracles following a heated debate on the authenticity of supernatural healings.

Sowore, in a recent interview, dismissed claims of miraculous healings by Nigerian pastors, arguing that many of their so-called wonders were staged to exploit followers.

Naija News reports that he alleged that his father, who suffered a stroke, experienced a “fake miracle” when taken to a church for healing.

“All of us know that all these religious people are fake. I have never seen a church that made a cripple walk before. The church has never made any blind person see. Forget about all these big churches lying to you,” he said.

Sowore further asserted that religion thrives in Nigeria due to the government’s failure to provide basic needs, making people rely on faith for survival.

“The truth is that religion is thriving in our society because the government does not exist. Otherwise, if we had great governance today in this country, your prayer points would change.”

In response, Prophet Miracle denounced Sowore’s remarks as an attack on the Christian faith, insisting that miracles are real and undeniable.

Addressing his congregation, the pastor challenged Sowore to bring a stroke patient to his church for healing, vowing to shut down his ministry if he failed.

He said: “I challenge Sowore to bring someone who has had a stroke. But before he brings the person, let them take the person to the hospital to confirm that the person has had a stroke.

“If I pray and the person stands up and walks, forever until he dies, let him (Sowore) never speak again or pursue his dream of becoming Nigeria’s president. But if I cannot heal the person, let me close this church until Jesus comes.”

The cleric further set an April 4 deadline for Sowore to present a patient for healing, insisting that the demonstration should be conducted live on television for the world to see.

Sowore has accepted the challenge, but with a condition—he wants Prophet Miracle to visit the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) stroke ward and heal patients there.

In a Facebook post, Sowore said: “I have accepted the challenge and would ask the pastor to move his ministry to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital stroke ward, particularly the comprehensive stroke care centre, and clear out the place. My reason is that those in that ward are certified sick and need urgent healing.

“There is no need for a back-and-forth. I will be watching his (Prophet Miracle’s) live stream tomorrow to publicise his healing prowess from that ward.”

When contacted for a response to Sowore’s counter-challenge, a church member, identified as David, told Sunday PUNCH that Prophet Miracle was unavailable for comments.