History beckons as Nigerian Navy makes move to revive oldest warship

The Nigerian Navy and Turkish firm Dearson Shipyard on Tuesday, June 6, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to remodel the iconic NNS ARADU.

The mighty Naval ship is owned by only three world countries, Germany, Argentina, and Nigeria.

NNS ARADU, commissioned into the Nigerian Navy Fleet in 1982, is an all-purpose warship that has undertaken several global missions.

Speaking at the event, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Auwal Gambo, noted that the remodeling of the ship would enhance its capabilities.

According to him, the wear and tear associated with sustained use of the ship and the harsh operating environments it has been exposed to have taken its toll on it, limiting its operational capability.

He informed the gathering that many companies assessed the NNS Aradu, but the Nigerian Navy settled for Dearson Shipyard due to the firm’s pedigree, competence, and capabilities.

His words: “This Memorandum of Understanding is not just a piece of paper. It re-ignites the partnership between both organisations in several ways, including but not limited to promoting synergy towards enhancing security as well as fostering operations and shipbuilding engagements that would enhance capability for the sustainable development of the Blue Economy for Nigeria’s prosperity.

“With the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria through the unrelenting efforts of the Standing Senate Committee on rehabilitation of NNS ARADU, we are gathered here today to commence modalities to reroll and modernise the nation’s flagship.

“Another significance of today’s event is the landmark agreement for the supply of additional 57-meters Fast Attack Craft to support the remodelled Flag Ship.

“Undoubtedly, operationalisation of these two vessels will not only increase the fleet of ships but also reposition the Nigerian Navy for enhanced maritime security operations for the socio-economic prosperity of Nigeria and Africa at large.”

On his part, the Managing Director of Dearsan Shipyard Turkey, Mr Mukat Gordi, commended the Nigerian Navy for the opportunity to take responsibility as the prime contractor of the NNS ARADU modernisation program.

He said the relationship between the Navy and the company had started following the signing ceremony of 76m offshore patrol vessels in December 2021.

He added: “Since we are aware of the historical importance of NNS ARADU as the Nigerian navy’s flagship, we initiated our surveys onboard the NNS ARADU last year and finalised it during our latest visit to Lagos this week.

“Therefore, we would like to emphasise once again that we are highly honoured to have this chance of being the prime contractor of NNS ARADU modernisation program.

“We assure you that we will complete the modernisation and refit program according to our contract and deliver to the Nigerian Navy.”

Speaking exclusively to Legit.ng on the sidelines of the event, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Resuscitation and Refurbishing of NNS ARADU, said he is excited that the grounded NNS ARADU will finally be resurrected.

He said: “The ship was designed to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity; other countries have maintained their flagship that represents their Navy’s strength, so for Nigeria’s own to be grounded is not a thing of pride.

“That is why I am excited today that our dream is coming true. I urge the firm to work assiduously to deliver the project on time, as it is crucial for our maritime security.”

Meanwhile, a new report has confirmed that Nigeria's military might have depreciated according to the latest rankings released in 2023.

The Global Firepower Index ranked Nigeria fourth in the list of African countries with powerful military might and 36th in the global index.

North African giants, Egypt and Algeria, took first and second place on the log, while South Africa's military was ranked third.