The Nigerian Navy (NN) is the naval branch of the Nigerian armed forces. The Nigerian Navy owes its origin to the Nigerian Marine. Formed in 1914 after the amalgamation of the then Northern and Southern Nigeria, the Nigerian Marine, as it became known after 1914, was a quasi-military organization. This force expanded to become the Southern Nigerian Marine in 1893. A Northern Nigeria equivalent was formed in 1900. The two Marines were merged in 1914.
Responsibilities included administration of the ports and harbours, dredging of channels, buoyage and lighting. The first of these new organizations was the Nigerian Ports Authority, which was charged with the running of ports and ensuring safe navigation. The second organisation was the Inland Waterways Department, which took over the running of ferries and touring launches. The third organisation was the Nigerian Naval Force, made up mostly of reserve Royal Navy officers and ex-Service personnel who had been transferred to the Nigerian Ports Authority from the defunct Nigerian Marine. Its primary responsibility was to train the personnel and set up the appropriate infrastructure necessary for the planned Navy.
In July 1959, the Nigerian Naval Force was transformed into a full-fledged Navy when Queen Elizabeth II granted permission for it to use the title "Royal Nigerian Navy". The name was changed to the "Nigerian Navy" in 1963 after Nigeria became a republic.
The constitutional task of the Navy was expanded in 1964 after the repeal of the 1958 Ordinance. These tasks were essentially routine functions of any navy. Consequently, the naval leadership began to mount pressure on the political leadership to re-define the constitutional role of the navy.
The NN is currently structured into 11 Branches at the Naval Headquarters, 6 commands and a number of autonomous units.
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The 6 commands are made up of 3 operational commands - Western Naval Command, Central Naval Command and Eastern Naval Command with headquarters located at Apapa, Yenagoa and Calabar- as well as the Training, Doctrine & Logistics Commands with headquarters at Ebubu rivers state, Bonny camp VI and Oghara respectively. Each of the 6 commands is headed by a Flag Officer of the rank of Rear Admiral. The autonomous units and support facilities enable the NN to maintain the fleet and personnel for sustained operations.
The Naval Headquarters is the administrative and policy-making organ of the Nigerian Navy. At its head is the Chief of the Naval Staff, who exercises full command of the Nigerian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff currently has eleven staff branches including the Office of the Navy Secretary.
The Western Naval Command Headquarters is located at Apapa in Lagos. The Western Command is headed by a Flag Officer Commanding who is of the rank of Rear Admiral. The previous Flag Officers Commanding are Rear Admiral RO Osondu, Rear Admiral FD Bobai, Rear Admiral SAG Abbah, Rear Admiral OH Ngalabak, Rear Admiral Oladele Bamidele Daji and Rear Admiral Barabutemegha Jason Gbassa.
The Eastern Naval Command is the second operations command of the Nigerian Navy and covers the sea area from longitude 6° 30'E in Delta State to the Nigeria/Cameroon border at longitude 8° 30' E, and from the Nigerian coastline to the limit of the nation's exclusive economic zone. The headquarters is at Calabar.
The Central Naval Command is the third operations command of the Nigerian Navy. The headquarters is in Yenagoa in Bayelsa State.
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The main functions of the Naval Training Command are the coordination and harmonization of training doctrines and standards for all local training in the Nigerian Navy, as evolved by the Naval Headquarters. The Command is headed by the Flag Officer Commanding, who is assisted by nine principal staff officers, namely: the Command Staff Officer, the Command Technical Training Officer, Command Logistic Training Officer, and Command Medical Training Officer.
Sea Training Unit at Victoria Island, Lagos. It is responsible for Basic Operations Sea Training, Safety Operations Sea Training, and Consolidated Operations Sea Training of all Nigerian Navy ships when assigned.
Nigerian Naval College and the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School, which are co-located at Onne, Port Harcourt.
The Logistics Command is headed by a Flag Officers Commanding of Rear Admiral rank. The permanent headquarters is at Oghara, Delta State. However, the Nigerian Navy Order establishing the Logistics Command has been released and the command has since started operation.
The autonomous units are those units which require prudent management and high-level control that need not be duplicated or represented at the lower hierarchy. Though small in size, they report directly to the Chief of the Naval Staff. Prominent among the autonomous units is the Nigerian Naval Dockyard, located in Victoria Island, Lagos. Hitherto, third line maintenance had been carried out either in foreign dockyards or private ones in Nigeria, at very high cost.
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The Naval Dockyard in Lagos, which was commissioned on 27 August 1990, now takes care of high level maintenance, such as major overhaul of ships engines, additions and alterations, and modification of designs. The Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt was also acquired in 1990 from Messrs Witt and Bush. Smaller ships of the Nigerian Navy and merchant ships are repaired there.
The 101 Squadron was established in 1985, based at Navytown, near Ojo. It operated AgustaWestland Lynx helicopters for anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue (SAR) operations from the Meko class frigate NNS Aradu.
The Nigerian Navy Special Operations Command was officially unveiled on June 1, 2025, during the Nigerian Navy’s 69th Anniversary Ceremonial Sunset Dinner. NNSOC is designed as a rapid deployment force with advanced capabilities for land-based and maritime operations, focusing on internal security and complementing the efforts of other Nigerian military services and security agencies.
The Special Boat Service is a special operations unit of the Nigerian Navy. It is a male only outfit fashioned after the Royal Navy's Special Boat Service.
There are four main departments on Nigerian Navy ships. These are operations, marine engineering, weapon engineering, and logistics. An officer, who is referred to as the head of department, is in charge of each department. He reports directly to the commanding officer on operational matters or through the Executive Officer on all administrative matters.
The Executive Officer is the second in command on all naval ships, as well as being the head of the Operations Department on smaller ships. On larger ships the Executive Officer remains the second in command, but the Principal Warfare Officer is the head of the Operations Department. In the ratings cadre, the most senior seaman rating is referred to as the Coxswain.
On 3 September 2018, in an official ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard in Lagos, the Nigerian Navy commissioned six new Ocea fast patrol boats and ten new small boats. The patrol boats include two FPB 110 MKII hulls - Nguru (P 187) and Ekulu (P 188) delivered earlier this year by France's Ocea Shipbuilding company - and four smaller FPB 72 MKII hulls - Shiroro (P 185), Ose (P 186), Gongola (P 189), and Calabar (P 190). The six new Ocea fast patrol boats came on the heels of a Two new Ocea FPB 110 MK II Fast Patrol Boats delivered to the Nigerian Navy. Ocea has previously delivered 7 units of the FPB 72 MK II boats in three batches: three in 2012, one FPB 98 in 2013, two in 2017 and two in January of this year.
In October 2018, Paramount Maritime Holding, a South African-based defense company revealed that the Nigerian Navy has placed an order for 15 new build Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB). On 8 September 2018, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency handed over its AgustaWestland AW139 Search and Rescue helicopter to the Nigerian Navy.
In December 2019, the Navy ordered 4 Units of ARESA 1700 IPC Inshore Patrol Vessels to the Spanish shipbuilder ARESA SHIPYARD.
The Nigerian Navy has been undergoing significant modernisation since the beginning of the last decade in response to the criminal activities occurring in its area of responsibility in the Gulf of Guinea.
Presently in possession of the Nigerian Navy is a MEKO 360 Type H1 frigate, NNS Aradu, which completed a refit in 2020 and will undergo refurbishment at Dearsan Shipyards in Turkiye.
2 unmanned ships were donated by Swift Ship Company to the Nigerian government.
Nigerian Navy Batch 35 Training Details
The Nigerian Navy (NN) has published the training dates for Batch 35 NNBTS successful candidates on the official www.joinnigeriannavy.com portal. The Nigerian Navy Basic Training School (NNBTS) Batch 35 training date has now been announced to the general public.
The training dates and centers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have been made available alongside the candidates’ names in PDF format. It is essential for all Nigerian Navy successful candidates to report exclusively to the training center they have been assigned.
The interview would take place in batches with each batch containing those from a particular zone. In addition, each zone has its center allocated to it and it is located close to their state of origin. Successful candidates are expected to be present waiting for the commencement of the Nigerian Navy Batch 35 NNBTS training to begin at each center.
There is a difference between the Nigerian Navy training and screening exercise. The training is conducted for those who were successful upon completion of the screening exercise. The Nigerian Navy training will soon begin on the official date as released online.
Please Note: Recruitnaija.com is NOT the official page. This is only a one-page summarized information page. While we try to keep the information current and correct, be aware that information may change at any time without notice.
Online Registration for Nigerian Navy NNBTS Batch 35
The Nigerian Navy wishes to inform the general public and all potential applicants that the online registration for its NNBTS Batch 35 Recruitment Exercise will commence on Wednesday 29 March 2023 and close on Saturday 6 May 2023.
Applicants are to:
- Possess a minimum of 5 credits in SSCE, GCE, NECO, and NABTEB in not more than 2 sittings.
- School certificates must not be older than 6 years from the date of application.
- Applicants must be between the ages of 18 - 22 years by 30 September 2023 for SSCE and its equivalent. For entry requiring NCE, Diploma Sportsmen/Sportswomen, Imam/Chaplain, and Drivers/Mechanics, applicants must be between the ages of 18 - 26 years by 30 September 2023.
It is important to note that the application is free and applicants are advised to apply once as multiple applications/registrations will be disqualified.
Eligibility Criteria for Nigerian Navy Recruitment
The NN Recruitment Process commences with advertisements in the print and electronic media for awareness of the general public. Applicants would then begin their application process by filling online application forms. On completion of online registration by applicants, successful ones are invited for Recruitment Examinations.
Applicants must be medically, physically, and psychologically fit.
Specific Requirements:
- Applicants for entry categories A5, B1, B2, B3, C1, D1, D7, E2, E3, E4 and F1 require School Certificate and must be between the ages of 18 - 22 years by 30 September 2023.
- For entry categories requiring NCE, Diploma (OND), Registered Nurse/Midwife qualifications, such as categories A1, A2, A3, A4, C2, C3, D2, E5, F2, J, K and N as well as categories D3 (Sportsmen and Sportswomen), D5 (Chaplain Assistants, D6 (Imam Assistants) and H (Drivers/Mechanics), applicants must be between ages of 18 - 26 years by 31 September 2023.
Applicants with any of the following medical/physical challenges are NOT to apply: sight problem, ear problem, communicable diseases, mental problems, stammering, or any physical disability.
Applicants with other educational/professional qualifications higher than those stated in paragraph 1 (a-g) are not to apply.
Certificates or qualifications not declared or tendered and accepted during the Recruitment exercise are not acceptable after recruitment and cannot be tendered for the purpose of change of department or advancement while already in the Nigerian Navy.
Minimum Educational Qualifications:
- Minimum of SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
- SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Also intermediate City & Guilds or Trade Test II could be considered.
- Minimum of OND Lower Credit in Computer Studies/Computer Science. Computer literacy is compulsory and must possess SSCE or equivalent with 5 Credits including English Language, Mathematics and Physics.
- SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language.
- SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language and Christian Religious Knowledge.
- SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language, Arabic and Islamic Religious Knowledge.
- SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language, Mathematics, Accounts/Economics. Computer skill is compulsory.
- SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language, Mathematics and Economics.
- SSCE or equivalent with 5 credits including English Language and Home Management/Food Nutrition.
- SSCE or Equivalent with 5 credits including English Language. Single qualification RN and double qualification in any relevant qualification such as RM, A&E, ENT, Psychiatric, Pediatric, Orthopedic/Trauma, Ophthalmic, Anesthetic, Public Health, Occupational Health, Nephrology/Dialysis and Theatre Nursing.
Application Deadline: May 6, 2023
How to Apply: Interested and qualified applicants should visit the official Nigerian Navy recruitment portal.
