Nigerian Navy Marks 70 Years, Reaffirms Commitment To Maritime Security

The Nigerian Navy has commenced its 70th anniversary celebrations with a reaffirmation of its commitment to maritime security, regional stability, and national development.

Speaking at an international press conference held at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja, Rear Admiral Akinola Olatunde Olodude, Chief of Policy and Plans, said the anniversary represents a “platinum jubilee” reflecting seven decades of institutional resilience and transformation.

Representing the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, he noted that the Navy has evolved from a modest coastal force into a “formidable instrument of national power and blue-water capability.”

Rear Admiral Olodude traced the Navy’s history to its establishment in 1956 as the Naval Defence Force with limited personnel and assets inherited from the Royal Navy structure.

He highlighted its formal evolution through the Royal Nigerian Navy era and its statutory establishment in 1964.

The Navy’s operational record, he said, includes decisive contributions during the Nigerian Civil War, where it enforced maritime blockades and supported amphibious operations.

It also played significant roles in international peacekeeping, including support missions in Lebanon under the United Nations operations and major regional deployments.

Olodude further highlighted the Navy’s involvement in regional peace support operations under ECOMOG Intervention in Liberia and Sierra Leone, where it provided sealift capacity, maritime embargo enforcement, and humanitarian assistance.

He also referenced deployments to the Gambia in 2017 and Guinea-Bissau in 2022, reinforcing Nigeria’s leadership in West African maritime security and supporting the emerging cooperation framework with the African Union on strategic sealift capability.

On domestic operations, the Navy said its sustained anti-piracy and anti-oil theft campaigns have contributed to Nigeria’s delisting from the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy-prone list since 2022, with improved crude oil production levels attributed partly to maritime security gains.

It also highlighted hydrographic surveys, shipbuilding activities, and ongoing vessel construction at naval facilities in Port Harcourt and Lagos.

The Navy further noted its growing recognition, including recent global assessments that ranked it among Africa’s strongest naval forces, alongside increased operational engagements in internal security and counter-insurgency support operations.

The 70th anniversary celebrations, scheduled from May 21 to June 4, 2026, will feature events across Lagos, Abuja, and other naval formations nationwide.

Activities include interfaith services, sporting events, fleet displays, foreign naval visits, international symposiums, and a grand fleet review at the Eko Atlantic Waterfront, to be reviewed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Rear Admiral Olodude said the anniversary theme underscores the Navy’s future direction toward digital transformation and enhanced maritime domain awareness, with new vessels and multinational exercises aimed at strengthening security in the Gulf of Guinea.

He reaffirmed the Navy’s loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and urged continued collaboration with the media in projecting its achievements and challenges as it enters its next phase of modernization.

Aisha Adesanya, Edited By Grace Namiji