The Nigerian Navy is planning to establish a research institute and research and development (R&D) units across its commands to develop indigenous technologies, reduce operational costs and strengthen its combat capabilities.
The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, disclosed this yesterday while delivering the keynote address at the Nigerian Navy’s 2026 Research and Development Seminar at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja.
Abbas said the proposed institute and command-level R&D units would institutionalise innovation, harness the ingenuity of naval personnel and translate research into practical, affordable solutions to operational challenges.

He said the Navy needed to embrace emerging technologies to counter increasingly sophisticated maritime threats, protect critical national infrastructure and strengthen its contribution to national security.
“The objective is not to simply acquire more technology, but to achieve greater operational effect with the resources available at our disposal,” the CNS said.
He noted that criminal networks were increasingly exploiting technology to evade detection and threaten critical national assets, making improved intelligence gathering, accurate surveillance and efficient deployment of military resources imperative.
According to him, technology-enabled maritime surveillance had improved the Navy’s awareness of activities within Nigeria’s maritime domain, enabling it to direct patrols towards identified threats.

He added that the intelligence-led approach had helped the service deploy its limited assets more efficiently, cut fuel and maintenance costs, and improve its operational response.
Abbas said surveillance of offshore installations and other critical infrastructure had strengthened efforts to combat crude oil theft and related economic crimes, helping to create a more secure environment for oil production.
He added that emerging technologies could extend surveillance to creeks and adjoining coastal areas to improve the monitoring and protection of pipelines.
The naval chief cited the Navy’s progress in indigenous shipbuilding and maintenance through its dockyard and shipyard as evidence of its growing capacity to develop and sustain operational capabilities locally.

He said the increasing deployment of naval personnel, including Marines and Special Forces, in joint counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations had heightened the need for better intelligence gathering, unmanned surveillance, secure communications and battlefield awareness.
According to him, the proposed research institute and command-level R&D units would help address these needs by translating research findings into equipment and systems that operational units could deploy.
Abbas, however, stressed that effective military technology development required collaboration with universities, research institutions and indigenous industries.

“Meaningful innovation cannot be achieved through isolated efforts. It requires purposeful collaboration with universities, research institutions and indigenous industries, with emphasis on developing, testing and deploying solutions that meet operational needs,” he said.
He urged participants at the seminar, themed “Deepening the Application of Emerging Technologies for Operational Effectiveness,” to identify specific capability gaps, recommend viable research partnerships and establish practical pathways for converting promising innovations into operational equipment and systems.
He said the initiative’s success would be measured by the capabilities developed, resources saved and operational results achieved.
The CNS commended President Bola Tinubu for his continued support in strengthening the Navy’s operational capabilities. He also praised the Naval Transformation and Innovation Branch for organising the seminar.

Earlier, the Chief of Transformation and Innovation, Rear Admiral Chijioke Oyenmobi, said the seminar was designed to harness emerging technologies and intensify research in line with the CNS’s vision of strengthening operational capabilities and promoting indigenous solutions.
Oyenmobi said developing local technological capacity was essential to improving operational readiness and achieving self-reliance.
He noted that emerging technologies, including unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors and additive manufacturing, were reshaping naval operations, fleet maintenance and sustainment.
He added that the rising costs of imported platforms and spare parts, coupled with lengthy supply lead times, made it imperative for the Navy to strengthen its domestic research and technological capabilities.

“A navy that depends entirely on others for its technology cannot fully control its own readiness,” he said.
Oyenmobi described research and development as the bridge between emerging technologies and the Navy’s operational requirements, as well as a pathway to reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.