The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, was in Qatar to attend the ninth edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference tagged: DIMDEX 2026 with a view to bolstering Nigerian Navy platform holding.
DIMDEX 2026, took place from 19-22 January 2026 under the patronage of His Highness, Sheikh Tamin Bin Hamad Al Thani Amir of the State of Qatar while the conference was hosted by the Qatar Armed Forces.
DIMDEX 2026, afforded the NN the opportunity to preview various options of precision guided munitions and Naval Gunfire Support suitable for Maritime Security Operations in Nigerian waters and the entire Gulf of Guinea.
In addition, the CNS held pertinent discussions on the equipment holding for the recently established Nigerian Navy Marines soon to be infused into various ongoing joint operations nationwide.
According to the Director of Information (DINFO), Nigerian Navy, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu in Abuja, this is in line with the CNS vision for the NN which is to “develop a modern, agile and professional naval force dedicated to securing Nigeria’s maritime interests and advancing national security objectives in synergy with other security agencies.”
He revealed that DIMDEX is the largest exhibition of maritime defence and security innovations in the Middle East Region, adding that Nigerian Navy’s participation has opened a new vista for improving NN platform composition in line with emerging cutting-edge technology.
During the conference, the CNS had a robust interactions with many solution providers in the maritime industry on latest trends and innovations related to acquisition of platforms and transfer of technology to improve the NN’s indigenous ship production capacity.
As part of the four-day event, several visiting warships from partner nations were berthed at Hamad Port and open to dignitaries and visitors.
It would be recalled that so far, the NN has built five locally-built Seaward Defence Boats.
These boats, according to spokesperson of the NN include: MV SAUKA LAFIA commissioned in 2010, NNS ANDONI commissioned in 2012, NNS KARADUWA commissioned in 2016, MV TUG COMMANDER UGWU commissioned in 2016 and NNS OJI commissioned in 2021.
He observed that the prospects of technology transfer would further reposition the NN towards becoming a leading manufacturer of warships in the African continent.
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