| Chief of the Naval Staff | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the Nigerian Navy | |
since 30 October 2025 | |
 Nigerian Navy | |
| Abbreviation | CNS |
| Member of | National Security Council |
| Reports to | Chief of Defence Staff |
| Appointer | Thepresident |
| Formation | 1956 (69 years ago) (1956) |
| First holder | F.W. Skutil J.E.A. Wey (indigenous) |
| Website | Official website |
Thechief of the naval staff(CNS) is the military head and highest rankingmilitary officer of theNigerian Navy.[1] The chief of the naval staff is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in theNigerian Armed Forces unless the chief of defence staff is a naval officer. The position is often occupied by the most seniorcommissioned officer appointed by thecommander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The chief of the naval staff reports to thechief of defence staff, who also reports to thedefence minister.[2]The Statutory duty of the Officer is to formulate and execute policies towards the highest attainment of National Security and operational competence of the Nigerian Navy.[3]
The current chief of the naval staff is Vice AdmiralIdi Abbas who was appointed in October 2025 by PresidentBola Tinubu to succeed Vice AdmiralEmmanuel Ogalla.
The table below is a chronological list of officers holding the position of Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the Naval Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Skutil, FrancisCaptain Francis William Skutil | 1956 | 1958 | 1–2 years | – |
| 2 | | Kennedy, AlexanderCommodore Alexander R. Kennedy | 1958 | March 1964 | 5–6 years | – |
| 3 | | Wey, JosephVice Admiral Joseph Edet Akinwale WeyOFR FSS (1918–1991) Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters | March 1964 | January 1973 | 8 years, 10 months | – |
| 4 | | Soroh, NelsonRear Admiral Nelson Bossman SorohMFR FSS idc (1928–2006) | January 1973 | 29 July 1975 | 2 years, 6 months | – |
| 5 | | Adelanwa, MichaelRear Admiral Michael Ayinde AdelanwaGCON FSS rcds (born 1937) | 29 July 1975 | 15 April 1980 | 4 years, 261 days | – |
| 6 | | Aduwo, AkintundeVice Admiral Akintunde AduwoCFR FSS FBIM (born 1938) | 15 April 1980 | 31 December 1983 | 3 years, 260 days | – |
| 7 | | Aikhomu, AugustusRear Admiral Augustus Akhabue AikhomuFSS Psc, mni (1939–2011) laterChief of General Staff | January 1984 | October 1986 | 2 years, 9 months | – |
| 8 | | Koshoni, PatrickVice Admiral Patrick Seubo KoshoniFSS Psc, mni (1943–2020) | October 1986 | January 1990 | 3 years, 3 months | – |
| 9 |  | Nyako, MurtalaVice Admiral Murtala Hamman-Yero NyakoFSS Psc, mni (born 1942/1943) | January 1990 | February 1992 | 2 years | – |
| 10 | | Omosola, DanVice Admiral Dan Preston OmosolaFSS, DSO, psc, rcds | February 1992 | September 1993 | 1 year 7 months | – |
| 11 | | Saidu, SuleimanRear Admiral Suleiman SaiduFSS, LSS, MSS, DSS, rcds (born 1942) | September 1993 | November 1993 | 2 months | – |
| 12 | | Madueke, AllisonRear Admiral Allison Amaechina MaduekeFSSDSS, MRNI, mni (born 1944) | November 1993 | August 1994 | 9 months | – |
| 13 |  | Akhigbe, MichaelRear Admiral Okhai Michael AkhigbeFSS DSS, psc, mni (1946–2013) laterChief of General Staff | August 1994 | 9 June 1998 | 3 years, 10 months | – |
| 14 | | Ayinla, JubrilVice Admiral Jubril AyinlaGCON FSSDSS, psc, Usnwc, fwc (born 1948) | 9 June 1998 | 29 May 1999 | 354 days | – |
| 15 | | Ombu, VictorVice Admiral Victor OmbuCFR mni (born 1947) | 29 May 1999 | 24 April 2001 | 1 year, 329 days | – |
| 16 | | Afolayan, SamuelVice Admiral Samuel Olajide AfolayanDSS, psc, fwc (born 1948) | 24 April 2001 | 20 July 2005 | 4 years, 87 days | – |
| 17 | | Adekeye, GaniyuVice Admiral Ganiyu Tunde Adegboyega AdekeyeDSS, psc, mirss, mni (born 1952) | 20 July 2005 | 20 August 2008 | 3 years, 31 days | – |
| 18 | | Ibrahim, IshayaVice Admiral Ishaya Iko IbrahimCFR DSS, psc, fwc (1952–2022) | 20 August 2008 | 8 September 2010 | 2 years, 19 days | – |
| 19 |  | Ibrahim, OlaVice Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim DSS, psc, rcds, fwc, LLB, (Hons) MA (born 1955) laterChief of Defence Staff | 8 September 2010 | 4 October 2012 | 2 years, 26 days | – |
| 20 |  | Ezeoba,DeleVice Admiral Dele Joseph EzeobaGSS, fwc, Msc, MRIN, FCIS (born 1958) | 4 October 2012 | 20 January 2014 | 1 year, 108 days | – |
| 21 |  | Jibrin, UsmanVice Admiral Usman Oyibe JibrinGSS, AM, psc+, mni, LLB, PGCPA (born 1959) | 20 January 2014 | 21 July 2015 | 1 year, 182 days | – |
| 22 |  | Ibas, Ibok-EteVice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (born 1960) | 21 July 2015 | 29 January 2021 | 5 years, 192 days | – |
| 23 |  | Gambo, AwwalVice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (born 1966) | 29 January 2021 | 23 June 2023 | 2 years, 145 days | – |
| 24 | | Ogalla, EmmanuelVice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla (born 1968) | 23 June 2023 | 30 October 2025 | 2 years, 129 days | – |
| 25 | | I. AbbasVice Admiral Idi Abbas (born 1969) | 30 October 2025 | Incumbent | 26 days | – |
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