The Nigerian Navy has commenced activities marking its 70th anniversary with a series of events scheduled to hold nationwide from May 21 to June 4, 2026.
Speaking at an international press conference held at Naval Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, the Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Akinola Olatunde Olodude, said the anniversary would celebrate seven decades of naval operations, maritime security contributions and regional peacekeeping engagements.
Olodude, who represented the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, said the celebrations would be centred in Lagos and across naval formations nationwide.
Tracing the history of the Navy, he said the service was established on June 1, 1956, as the Naval Defence Force with 250 officers and ratings alongside 11 ships inherited from the Colonial Marine Department of the Royal Navy.
According to him, the force became the Royal Nigerian Navy in 1958 before dropping the “Royal” prefix in 1963 after Nigeria attained republican status.
He added that the Navy was formally recognised as a statutory branch of the Armed Forces through Act No. 21 of 1964.
Highlighting the Navy’s operational record, he said the service played a key role during the Nigerian Civil War between 1967 and 1970 through maritime blockades and amphibious operations.
He added that the Navy had also participated in several international peacekeeping missions, including operations in Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.
The rear admiral disclosed that Nigeria signed a strategic sealift memorandum of understanding with the African Union in 2025 as part of efforts to strengthen regional maritime cooperation.
On maritime security, he said Nigeria had remained off the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy-prone nations list since 2022 due to sustained anti-piracy operations by the Navy.
He further stated that the 2026 Global Firepower Report ranked the Nigerian Navy as the strongest naval fleet in Africa.
Olodude also linked the Navy’s anti-crude oil theft operations to improvements in national oil production, noting that Nigeria’s average daily crude oil output rose from 1.258 million barrels per day in January 2023 to 1.71 million barrels per day in April 2026.
He added that the Naval Dockyard in Lagos and the Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt had constructed five vessels since 2010 and were currently building additional platforms, including two 44.2-metre Seaward Defence Boats.
Activities lined up for the anniversary include special prayers, sporting competitions, project commissioning, sea-trip experiences for civilians, fleet displays, symposiums and the commissioning of new naval platforms.
Foreign naval ships from Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are also expected in Lagos as part of the celebrations.
The highpoint of the anniversary will hold on June 1 at the Eko Atlantic Waterfront in Lagos, where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to review an international fleet review, trooping of colours and the commissioning of NNS Mambila, NNS Gurara and NNS Oloibiri.
The anniversary will conclude on June 4 with a ceremonial sunset, dinner and awards night in Lagos.
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