The Nigerian Navy has announced a series of high-profile activities, including the commissioning of new warships, an international fleet review, and a multinational maritime exercise, as part of activities marking its 70th anniversary celebration.
Speaking at an international press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Akinola Olatunde Olodude, who represented the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, said the anniversary celebrations would run from May 21 to June 4, 2026, across Lagos and naval formations nationwide.
Olodude described the anniversary as a historic milestone that reflects the transformation of the Nigerian Navy from a small coastal force established in 1956 into what he called “a formidable instrument of national power, regional stability and blue-water prestige.”
He recalled that the Navy began as the Naval Defence Force with 250 officers and men and 11 inherited vessels before evolving into the modern Nigerian Navy established by an Act of Parliament in 1964.
According to him, the Navy played strategic roles during the Nigerian Civil War, United Nations peacekeeping operations in Lebanon, and regional interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau.
The naval chief further highlighted the service’s recent achievements in maritime security, stating that Nigeria has remained off the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy-prone nations list since 2022 due to sustained naval operations in the Gulf of Guinea.
He added that ongoing anti-crude oil theft operations in collaboration with other security agencies have contributed to increased national crude oil production.
“According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, crude oil production rose from 1.258 million barrels per day in January 2023 to a five-year high of 1.71 million barrels per day as of April 2026,” he said.
He also revealed that the Global Firepower Report 2026 ranked the Nigerian Navy as the strongest naval fleet in Africa following recent fleet recapitalisation efforts.
As part of the anniversary activities, the Navy will host foreign naval ships from the Republic of Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana in Lagos.
The celebrations will also feature an International Fleet Review to be attended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside the commissioning of three vessels — NNS MAMBILA, NNS GURARA, and NNS OLOIBIRI.
Other activities include an international maritime exhibition, sports competitions, community outreach programmes, a sea-trip experience for civilians, and the 6th Seapower for Africa Symposium themed, “Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Maritime Security in Africa.”
The Naval Chief said the Navy is pursuing a transition toward a “highly digitized and networked blue-water navy” capable of addressing emerging security threats in the maritime domain.
He noted that the launch of the Combined Maritime Task Force for the Gulf of Guinea and the planned international maritime exercise would further reinforce Nigeria’s leadership role in regional maritime security.
The Navy is also expecting the participation of heads of African and non-African navies, regional military commanders, and international maritime organisations during the celebrations in Lagos.
