NIGERIAN NAVY 70TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 2026 DELIVERED BY REAR ADMIRAL AKINOLA OLATUNDE OLODUDE, CHIEF OF POLICY AND PLANS, NAVAL HEADQUARTERS

The Nigerian Navy has released an official press statement outlining activities and key highlights for its 70th Anniversary Celebration scheduled to hold from May 21 to June 4, 2026, across Lagos and other naval formations nationwide.

The statement, delivered by Rear Admiral Akinola Olatunde Olodude, Chief of Policy and Plans, Naval Headquarters Abuja, details the Navy’s historical milestones, operational achievements, international engagements, and upcoming anniversary events.

Read the full statement below:

Principal Staff Officers of the Naval Headquarters, Directors, distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the press; on behalf of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas (Admiralty Medal), and the officers, ratings and civilian staff of the Nigerian Navy, I am delighted to welcome you to the Naval Headquarters this morning. Today marks the official commencement of a historic, fortnight celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.

These celebrations are scheduled to commence from Thursday, 21 May to Thursday, 4 June 2026, centring in Lagos and across all naval units and formations nationwide. As we stand on the threshold of our Platinum Jubilee, this milestone invites us to look backward with profound gratitude to God Almighty at a seventy-year journey that witnessed a modest coastal policing navy, transform into a formidable instrument of national power, regional stability and blue-water prestige.

Distinguished audience, the story of the Nigerian Navy is a chronological testament to institutional resilience and strategic adaptability. Historically, the Nigerian Navy was established on 1 June 1956 as the then, Naval Defence Force with 250 officers and men as well as 11 ships inherited from the erstwhile Colonial Marine Department of the
Royal Navy. Thereafter, it was designated as the Royal Nigerian Navy in 1958 and the prefix Royal was dropped when Nigeria became a republic in 1963.

The modern-day Nigerian Navy was legally established through the Act of Parliament No 21 of 1964 as a statutory branch of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. Instructively, the first Nigerian to head the Nigerian Navy in 1964 was
then Commodore JEA Wey. At that time, his title was Commodore Commanding Nigerian Navy. He later transitioned to the title of Chief of the Naval Staff and left the office in 1973 as Vice Admiral.

What began with a restricted mandate and handful of retrofitted craft has matured seventy years later into an elite force, projecting power confidently across the West African sub-region, the Gulf of Guinea, and the vast maritime expanse of sub-Saharan Africa.

The Nigerian Navy proved its strategic indispensability early in its post-independence journey during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970. During the war it successfully executed maritime blockades, severed supply lines, secured vital sea lanes for humanitarian and logistic inflows, and conducted amphibious operations that proved decisive in
securing national unity.

Over decades, the Navy has consistently stepped forward as a reckonable force for global, regional and national peace. Notably, during the United Nation’s Mission in Lebanon in the 1970s, the Navy supported the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. It navigated the Mediterranean Sea to deliver vital medical supplies and logistical support to the Nigerian Army peacekeeping forces deployed in Southern Lebanon.

Additionally, during the ECOMOG Intervention in Liberia from 1990 to 1999 the Nigerian Navy served as the logistical and combat backbone of the entire sub-regional effort. It enforced strict maritime embargoes, provided critical naval gunfire support, and conducted humanitarian operations that saved thousands of civilian lives. It also conducted sealift that safely transported thousands of regional troops and heavy military hardware.

Likewise, during the ECOMOG Operations in Sierra Leone between 1997 to 2000, the Nigerian Navy played a decisive role in restoring the democratically elected government by enforcing United Nations and ECOWAS maritime embargoes against insurgent forces. It executed vital strategic sealifts, maintained combat patrols, secured Freetown Harbour and ensured the unimpeded supply of humanitarian aid.

Furthermore, in 2017, the Nigeria Navy participated in the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia where a regional military stabilization force was deployed. The Navy deployed its Special Forces – Nigerian Navy Special Boat Services and Offshore Patrol Vessel towards ensuring swift peaceful restoration of constitutional governance in the Gambia.

Equally, the ECOWAS Stabilisation Mission in Guinea-Bissau in 2022 provided the Nigerian Navy with another opportunity to successfully project Nigeria's strategic sealift capability by transporting military battalions, heavy tactical vehicles, and vital hardware to stabilize the Country, following an attempted coup.

Resultedly, all these contributed to the strategic sealift memorandum of understanding signed between Nigeria and the African Union in 2025 for the Nigerian Navy to provide sealift capacity to aid the African Union with peace keeping, disaster response and personnel movement across the continent.

Nationally, the Nigerian Navy through its effort has ensured that Nigeria has remained fully delisted from the International Maritime Bureau’s list of piracy prone nations since 2022. This has had attendant benefit for lowering shipping, trade and insurance costs. Regarding shipping, the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Office over the years has facilitated safe navigation in Nigeria’s Maritime environment through charting of various areas such as Lagos harbour, Calabar channel, Igbokoda and Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean among several others.

Furthermore, the Navy has embarked on ship building and has constructed 5 vessels since 2010. These include a ferry, a tug-boat and 3 seaward defence boats. Presently, the Naval Shipyard Limited in Port Harcourt is constructing a 27m ferry for the Akwa Ibom State Government while the Naval Dockyard Limited in Lagos is constructing two Seaward Defence Boats of 44.2m in length. Notably, the Naval Dockyard Limited refitted 3 warships for the Beninois Navy between 2024 and 2025 and is presently refitting 3 more for its Navy.

Operationally, the Nigerian Navy has over the years been involved with sister services in several internal security, Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency operations around the Country. Particularly, the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service has been critical in most of these operations and performed daring raids contributing significantly towards the successes achieved.

Furthermore, in line with the Presidential Directive to boost crude oil production to 3million barrels per day by 2030 with an interim goal of 2.5 million barrels per day by 2027, the Nigerian Navy has been leading in executing anti-crude oil theft and anti-illegal refining operations over the years, in collaboration with sister services and security agencies within the Niger Delta.

According to the Nigerian National Petroleum CorporationLimited, this has led to an increase in average crude oil production from 1.258million barrels per day in January 2023 to a 5-year high of 1.71million barrel per day as at April 2026. To crown the effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria at fleet recapitalization of the Navy, the Global Firepower Report 2026 adjudged the Nigerian Navy as the strongest naval fleet on the African continent.

Indeed, the Nigerian Navy at 70 years has been a journey worth celebrating. Consequently, some activities have been lined up as follows:

Date Event Venue

9. Distinguished audience, as we look towards the next decade, under the leadership of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abass, the Nigerian Navy recognizes that the evolving maritime security challenges demand innovative strategies beyond traditional frameworks. Our commitment to becoming a highly digitized and networked blue-water navy is embodied in the upcoming Seapower for Africa Symposium, themed ‘Leveraging Technology
for Enhanced Maritime Security in Africa.’

This transition is underscored by the induction of new patrol vessels like NNS MAMBILA, NNS GURARA, and NNS OLOIBIRI, reflecting our dedication to sustained fleet renewal and indigenous engineering. The forthcoming dual-launch of the Combined Maritime Task Force for the Gulf of Guinea and the International Maritime Exercise, highlighted by the personal attendance of our Commander-in-Chief, further establishes the Nigerian Navy’s role as a stabilizing force in the sub-continent.

Through the integration of technology with adequately trained manpower, we are prepared to confront asymmetric threats characterized in the Fourth Generation Warfare while preparing for emerging threats of the Fifth Generation Warfare. We invite our esteemed media partners to continue their vital role in sharing our achievements and challenges with the public, encouraging all Nigerians to take pride in their Navy as we remain steadfast in our loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in our constitutional role of protecting Nigeria’s Maritime Interest. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, God bless the Armed Forces of Nigeria, God bless the Nigerian Navy.

Onward together!

AO OLODUDE
Rear Admiral
May 2026 Chief of Policy and Plans

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