Nigerian Navy Marks 70 Years with Five Indigenous Vessels and New Builds

TL;DR: Nigeria’s navy has finished five indigenous vessels since 2010, is constructing three more, and will showcase them at the June 1 International Fleet Review.

The navy announced the milestone during a press briefing in Abuja ahead of its 70th‑anniversary celebrations. Rear Admiral Akinola Olatunde, chief of policy and plans, highlighted the shift from a modest post‑independence fleet to Africa’s strongest naval force.

Since 2010, the navy has built five vessels on home soil: a ferry, a dockboat and three seaward defence boats. The 27‑metre ferry for Akwa Ibom State is under construction at the Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt. Meanwhile, the Naval Dockyard in Lagos is assembling two 44.2‑metre seaward defence boats.

The dockyard’s capabilities now extend beyond national borders. It refitted three Benin Republic warships between 2024 and 2025 and is currently overhauling three additional Benin vessels. The projects demonstrate the yard’s growing technical capacity and regional relevance.

These indigenous ships will lead the International Fleet Review on June 1 at Lagos’s Eco Atlantic Waterfront. In the 2023 presidential review, the three locally built defence boats headed the procession, underscoring the navy’s confidence in home‑grown platforms.

The anniversary programme begins on May 23 with nationwide Jumu’ah prayers, followed by a civilian sea‑experience exercise on May 25 that will select participants from over 14,000 online applicants. Commissioning events are slated for May 26, and children’s outreach will take place on May 27, coinciding with Children’s Day.

The shipbuilding drive signals a strategic push for self‑reliance. By reducing dependence on foreign suppliers, the navy can tailor vessels to regional security needs and sustain maintenance cycles locally. Continued investment in domestic yards could also boost Nigeria’s defence industry workforce, now over 34,000 personnel.

Watch for the performance of the new seaward defence boats at the fleet review and for any announcements on further indigenous projects as the navy leverages its expanded shipyard capacity.