The Nigerian Navy on Saturday inducted 1,962 newly educated rankings to strengthen ongoing joint army operations nationwide.
The recruits had been formally handed out by the Chief of Naval Workers, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, through the Batch 37 Passing Out Parade on the Nigerian Navy Primary Coaching Faculty (NNBTS) in Onne, Rivers State, the Information Company of Nigeria reported.
Abbas mentioned the rankings can be assigned to warships and operational models to fight oil theft, improve maritime safety, and assist floor forces in counter-insurgency and different safety missions.
He described the recruitment as well timed, noting that Nigeria continues to face a spread of safety challenges, together with maritime crime, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and violent extremism.
The Chief of Naval Workers highlighted that NNBTS has persistently fulfilled its mandate of reworking civilians into expert and competent naval rankings.
He famous that the recruitment of 1,962 rankings was notably well timed, coming at a second when Nigeria faces a number of safety challenges. In response to him, the brand new personnel are important not just for securing the nation and its maritime setting but additionally for supporting broader {economic} prosperity.
“Through the years, NNBTS has upheld its mandate of reworking civilians into expert and competent rankings for the Nigerian Navy.
“The recruitment of 1,962 rankings comes at a time when our nation faces a number of safety threats. It’s essential to safe our nation and its maritime setting, and to advertise {economic} prosperity,” he mentioned.
Abbas defined that the recruits accomplished six months of intensive coaching as a part of the Navy’s capacity-building programme, which was lately upgraded to incorporate fight swimming, field-craft, and visit-board-search-and-seizure drills, together with live-firing workout routines and sensible simulations.
He urged the brand new rankings to uphold self-discipline, professionalism, integrity, and teamwork, stressing that their efficiency can be central to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime and territorial safety.
The induction of those rankings comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide safety emergency, mandating intensified operations and expanded recruitment by the Armed Forces, Police, and DSS.
In November 2025, President Tinubu rejected the US designation of Nigeria as a “Nation of Explicit Concern”, describing it as inconsistent with the nation’s counterterrorism efforts.