By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Nigerian Navy has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening strategic collaboration with the Indian Navy, with focus on training in shipbuilding technology transfer and enhanced maritime capabilities.
The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Visakhapatnam, India.
The CNS, who was represented by Rear Adm. AbdulHamid Baba-Inna, Naval Secretary, gave this indications on the sidelines of the ongoing International Fleet Review (IFR) and MILAN 2026, organised by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.
He said the engagement with India Naval authorities was part of Nigerian Navy’s broader effort to strengthen indigenous capacity, noting that India’s advances in local ship construction and naval technology offered valuable lessons for the Nigerian Navy.
Abbas explained that India’s push for indigenous naval platforms had significantly improved its self-reliance and positioned it as a major maritime power, adding that Nigeria seeks to leverage similar cooperation frameworks.
He noted that the IFR and MILAN 2026 had provided a strong platform for professional exchanges, experience sharing, and identification of new areas of cooperation between both navies.
The CNS said enhanced collaboration would also support Nigeria’s efforts at combating insecurity and protecting critical offshore assets and improving maritime domain awareness in the Gulf of Guinea.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Navy’s readiness to work closely with the Indian Navy and other friendly navies in advancing collective maritime security.
According to him, the Nigerian Navy is particularly interested in partnerships and trainings that will boost local shipbuilding, maintenance culture, and operational efficiency in securing Nigeria’s maritime domain.
“Indian Navy has gone far and done so well in building its maritime capabilities locally and Nigeria, having long standing bilateral cooperation, is exploring more ways to further collaborate in order to build our own capabilities locally,” he said.
Abbas said the Nigerian Navy had been forward-looking and steadily making progress in its efforts at building innovative capacities locally.
He commended the Indian Navy for the display of its maritime capabilities, especially its indigenously built Aircraft Carrier, among other vessels, adding that the IFR and MILAN 2026 had shown to the world that India had come of age and had demonstrated that it is a power to reckon with.
NAN recalls that notable vessels constructed in Nigeria include the 43-meter Seaward Defence Boat (SDB) NNS Oji (2021), NNS Andoni (2012) and NNS Karaduwa (2016), as well as MV Sauka Lafia (2010) and MV Tug Commander Ugwu (2016) and 2 other SDBs presently under construction at advanced stages in the NDL.
These initiatives, primarily led by the Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL) in Lagos, also include the production of gunboats, enhancing fleet strength, and operational readiness against maritime threats in the Gulf of Guinea.
As part of activities for the IFR and MILAN 2026, was International Maritime Seminar held on Friday, where the representative of the CNS made a presentation on the topic, ‘Building Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Capacity: Training Coordination and Resource Sharing’.
The lecture noted that as natural disasters grow more frequent and severe, coastal and island nations increasingly rely on external maritime support for HADR, stressing that building regional HADR capacity highlights how training, coordination, and resource sharing can transform regional navies into highly effective first responders.
The lecture concluded by noting that maritime collaboration saves lives, accelerates recovery, and strengthens humanitarian solidarity in times of crisis.
The multinational IFR and MILAN 2026 was attended by Head of Navies, naval delegations, and ships from about 74 countries, underscoring growing global maritime cooperation and interoperability. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
