What It’s Really Like to Serve in the Nigerian Navy: Lieutenant Alabi Olawale Tells Us

Unlike Soldiers and Police officers, members of the Nigerian Navy and Air Force are often less visible in the everyday lives of Nigerians. This is largely because soldiers and police officers operate on land, where most people live and work. But what does it actually mean to be a naval officer in Nigeria? How does one become a naval officer, and what does the job entail?

Lieutenant Alabi Olawale, who has served in the Nigerian Navy for more than eight years, gives us a glimpse into life in the Navy. In this feature, I ask Alabi Olawale what it means to serve as a naval officer, how and why he joined the Nigerian Navy, and what a typical day on the job looks like.

When did you join the Nigerian Navy and why?

I’m Lieutenant Olawale Alabi. I’m a naval officer, and I’ve served eight years now in the Nigerian Navy. I joined the Navy in February 2018, and I was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant. Before the Navy, I studied Electrical Electronics Engineering and graduated from Landmark University. When I graduated, I worked with Terragon Group, a tech company, where I tried to carve my way in tech, but my dad convinced me to go to the military.

So when the opportunity came, I applied and joined. There are three modes of entry, but all involve training. When I finished the basic training, I was appointed to a ship. Most of my appointments have been to ships.

How many ships have you served on?

So far, I have served onboard four ships. There are different classes of ships in the Nigerian Navy. There are frigates, fast patrol boats, fast attack craft, patrol boats, and seaward defence boats. After I was appointed to my first ship, NNS UNITY, I went for a mandatory technical training at NIT Sapele for engineers. I came back and was posted to another ship, NNS OKPABANA. When I…