President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will launch the African Union combined maritime task force in June, a multinational initiative aimed at combating transnational organized crimes across the 6,000-kilometer expanse of the Gulf of Guinea. The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, disclosed this through the Chief of Policy and Plans (Navy), Rear Admiral Akinola Olodude, during a news conference marking activities for the 70th anniversary of the Nigerian Navy.
The African Union Peace and Security Council formally endorsed the combined maritime task force on 23rd April 2025 as a standing and ready-to-deploy maritime force for the Gulf of Guinea. Vice Admiral Abbas stated that the President will flag off the task force, headquartered in Lagos, to symbolize its operationalization. Countries that have joined so far include Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.
Other activities lined up for the anniversary include an international fleet review at the Eko Atlantic Waterfront, which will be reviewed by President Tinubu. He will also personally conduct the trooping and presentation of colors to the Nigerian Navy and commission three vessels into its service.
The 6th Sea Power for Africa Symposium (SPAS) will also be held to mark the anniversary. The symposium, which began in 2005 and has rotated between South Africa and Nigeria, will focus on leveraging technology for enhanced maritime security in Africa. It is a major continental gathering of naval forces, defense leaders, defense ministries, coast guards, policymakers, and industry experts, addressing maritime security challenges and unlocking Africa's oceanic resources.
The Nigerian Navy was established on 1st June 1956 as the Naval Defence Force, with 250 officers and men and 11 ships inherited from the colonial marine department of the Royal Navy. It was designated as the Royal Nigerian Navy in 1958, and the prefix 'Royal' was dropped when Nigeria became a republic in 1963. The modern Nigerian Navy was legally established through Act of Parliament number 21 of 1964 as a statutory branch of the armed forces. The first Nigerian to head the Navy in 1964 was Commodore J.E.A. Way, who later transitioned to Chief of the Naval Staff and left office in 1973 as Vice Admiral.
According to the Naval Chief, the Navy began with a restricted mandate and a handful of retrofitted craft but has matured 70 years later into an elite force projecting power confidently across the West African sub-region, the Gulf of Guinea, and the vast maritime expanse of sub-Saharan Africa.
