The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has emphasized that the long-term strength of Nigeria’s military will be determined by its ability to embrace homegrown technology and innovation.
Speaking at the Nigerian Navy Seminar on Research and Development in Abuja on Thursday, themed “Utilizing Emerging Technology for Enhanced Operational Effectiveness”, Ogalla—represented by the Chief of Communication and Information Technology (Navy), Rear Admiral Hamza Kaoje—stated that the country’s capacity to dominate its maritime domain and safeguard oil-rich waters would rely less on fleet size and more on technological superiority.
He noted that the Nigerian Navy is increasingly confronted by asymmetric and fast-changing threats, as pirates, smugglers, oil thieves, and insurgents adopt unmanned systems, encrypted communications, and advanced navigation tools.
“The battle for maritime security will no longer be determined by numbers or conventional platforms. It will be won by those with innovation, intelligence, adaptability, and technological sophistication,” Ogalla said.
He stressed the need for Nigeria to reduce reliance on imported technologies and begin developing mission-critical assets locally. Priority areas, he said, include radars, navigation systems, drones, secure communication equipment, and surveillance platforms.
According to him, this shift is not about prestige but a matter of strategic survival. “Our long-term security demands solutions developed by Nigerian minds, tailored to Nigerian realities, and manufactured by Nigerian industries,” he added.
Ogalla acknowledged modest progress in local shipbuilding through the Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL) and the Naval Shipyard Limited (NSL) but insisted that the pace must accelerate. He also revealed plans to establish innovation hubs, hackathons, and ideation labs within naval formations to harness creativity from personnel.
Highlighting welfare as a critical enabler of innovation, the CNS said the service is investing in new bases, barracks, and support facilities to ensure sailors remain motivated and equipped. “Research and development must now be institutionalised as a core strategic asset, at the same level as personnel, weapons, and logistics,” he declared.
Ogalla urged collective national support for this vision—calling on lawmakers to provide policy and funding, the private sector to partner in production and testing, and universities to help transform research into deployable technologies. He also called for genuine technology transfer agreements that go beyond dependence on foreign imports.
Earlier, the Chief Transformation (Navy), Rear Admiral Monday Unurhiere, said history had consistently shown that technology shapes the outcome of conflicts, stressing the importance of harnessing innovation to secure national interests. He described the two-day seminar as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the Navy’s research ecosystem and integrate emerging technologies into its operations.
Delivering a lecture, Professor Osichinaka Ubadike, an aerospace engineer, urged the Nigerian Navy to advance its expertise in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology to boost maritime operations. He underscored the importance of local initiatives and innovation, adding that research and development remain central to success in modern warfare.