Nigerian Navy 1956-2006
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nigerian Navy is one of the 3 armed services of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is constitutionally tasked with the primary responsibility of maritime defense of Nigeria. Established on 1st June 1956 as the Nigerian Naval Force, it was renamed the Royal Nigerian Navy in July 1959 and the Nigerian Navy in 1963 after Nigeria became a republic. The Nigerian Navy is unique among the other armed forces that is constitutionally tasked with extensive economic responsibility. These economic responsibilities, otherwise known within the military circles as constabulary or policing duties, have placed the Service as a strategic player in the nation's economy. For example, according to statistics from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), until the intervention of the Nigerian Navy in 2003, the Nigerian oil industry was losing an average of 160,000 barrels of crude oil per day to criminal elements. This figure has been brought down to less than 30,000 barrels per day according to the NNPC figures o withing 10,000 barrels according to Nigerian Navy figures.
The Nigerian Navy owes its origin to the Nigeria Marine.