Just last week, the Nigerian Navy clocked 68 and it was commemorated with a beehive of activities including the inauguration of projects at the Naval Dockyard Limited, NDL, the Naval Hub of Engineering set up to enhance Nigeria's strategic self-reliance in maintaining naval vessels, developing expertise, and embarking on design and building of ships and craft in support of the nation's continental and global maritime seapower projection and its Blue Economy, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports
The Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL) is the premiere logistic facility of the Nigeria Navy (NN) which caters for third line or depot maintenance of ships and over the years, those capacities have yielded result with countless constructions including the three indigenously built vessels- Nigerian Navy Ships (NNS) ANDONI, KARADUWA, and ODIA, for the Nigerian Navy with two new ones including a 41 metre Seaward Defence Boat (SDB), the third in the series, in the offing.
For stakeholders, this demonstrates the immense potential NDL possesses in the shipbuilding/repair business as the yard has also built over 100 riverine patrol boats, constructed and maintained houseboats, constructed self-propelled barges, repaired vessels both military and merchant ships, and constructed GRP boats and numerous maritime engineering construction as well as oil and gas platforms/assets currently performing optimally within Nigeria's maritime space.
On June 1, the Nigerian Navy clocked 68 and for the NDL, the culmination of the 68 years was a testament of the contribution the yard has achieved in boosting the fleet renewal and recapitalisation drive of the navy.
Asides playing host to bulk of the Navy Day celebrations, the NDL also had a lot to showcase as was seen when the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla toured the dockyard in the company of some senior officers and inaugurated some projects undertaken by the Admiral Superintendent Naval Dockyard (ASND), Rear Admiral Abolaji Orederu.
Earlier at the Interdenominational Church Service in commemoration of the 68th Anniversary Celebration in Abuja, the CNS said the new ships and platforms were in continuation of the fleet renewal effort of the navy through the support of President Bola Tinubu's administration and his commitment to make the service more efficient.
Ogalla said the navy's fleet renewal effort had been given serious boost through its local shipbuilding effort, saying it had become a cardinal point of his vision and its realisation is the only way to grow as a navy by tapping into local content in all its key areas of development of which shipbuilding is part of.
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He added that the service also recognised that shipbuilding and ship repairs would contribute effectively to the overall growth of the economy.
After inspecting the NDL Conference Hall and the Exhibition Tent that was used during the anniversary, he also inspected the construction site for Seaward Defence Boats (SDB) 4 & 5 and afterwards inaugurated the renovated General Manager Sea Training (GMST) Block, the Electroplating Plant, the Galvanising Plant, the newly constructed elevator for NDL Conference Hall, the NDL Gallery, the remodelled Administrative Block, the Upgraded NDL Officers Mess and the NDL Sports Complex.
With all he saw, the CNS commended the ASND for the good work and enjoined him not to rest on their oars.
This was later re-echoed by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (OFR), who was also taken on a tour of NN facilities & projects at Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL).
