Nigerian Navy boasts of fleet expansion, celebrates Ceremonial Sunset as it marks 69th Anniversary

 Nigerian Navy boasts of fleet expansion, celebrates Ceremonial Sunset as it marks 69th Anniversary 

Lagos, June 3, 2025 

The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla has said that the Nigerian Navy would continue to invest in fleet expansion and platforms that would continue to guarantee maximum security in our territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea region.

Ogalla said this at the Ceremonial Sunset and Dinner which held on Sunday at the Naval Dockyard Ltd., Victoria Island, Lagos to conclude the week-long 69th Nigerian Navy Anniversary.

The event was graced by notable personalities including the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, the Korean Ambassador, members of the diplomatic corps, heads of paramilitary agencies, retired naval chiefs, and members of the Naval Officers' Wives Association (NOWA).

The CNS expressed gratitude to the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, who was the Special Guest of Honour, and other notable distinguished guests for gracing the occasion.

He said that the commissioning of three fast patrol boats and three helicopters had further enlarged the fleet and made it formidable in the war against piracy and other maritime crimes.

“These additions will reposition the Nigerian Navy to project power within the Gulf of Guinea and support our strategic maritime goals.

"This will also help in sustaining a favourable maritime environmental that will guarantee economy development and prosperity," Ogalla said.

The CNS added that several other assets were expected from Turkey, China, France, and Singapore later in the year.

"Additionally, construction of indigenous seawall defence boats and security stations are underway," he said.

Ogalla said that the establishment of the Special Operations Command in Makurdi and the creation of the Nigerian Navy Marines would further strengthen operational capability and bolster land-based operations. 

He also noted that the Navy had operationalized the Naval Outpost in Shagunu and supported joint security operations nationwide.

"The Navy has sustained robust maritime security operations, especially in combating oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and piracy.

"The ongoing Operation Delta Sanity, launched in January 2025, has led to multiple arrests and seizures of petroleum products and vessels in the Niger Delta region," the CNS said.

Ogalla added that the successes of operations, particularly the newly introduced fiscalization duties, had contributed to an increase in Nigeria’s daily crude oil production to about 1.7 million barrels per day, as stated by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission in February.

He said that personnel welfare remained a top priority, citing increased training opportunities, infrastructural expansion across commands, and new barrack accommodation projects expected to provide housing for at least 1,500 personnel by the end of 2025.

“We have also supported families of fallen heroes through scholarship schemes and housing donations, in appreciation of their sacrifice to the nation,” the CNS added.

Ogalla thanked President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support and also appreciated the National Assembly, sister services, the Lagos State Government, and stakeholders for enabling the Navy’s progress.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Navy, Mr Gbenga Daniel, congratulated the Nigerian Navy on its achievements.

Daniel said that the wealth of the nation lied within the maritime domain, expressing pride in the discipline and efficiency of the naval force to safeguarding it.

ReelzzNewzz24 reports that the evening also featured the unveiling of the logos for the Nigerian Navy Special Operations Command and the Navy Marines, adding colour and symbolic significance to the occasion.