On Friday, 12 September 2025, the Naval War College Nigeria (NWCN), celebrated the graduation of 30 participants of Naval Warfare Course (NWC) 9. The beautiful graduation ceremony held at the College Auditorium marked the culmination of the successful completion of the course curriculum.
The Commandant NWCN, Rear Admiral AO Olodude commended the NWC 9 participants for their dedication and resilience during the period of the course and thereafter conferred the award “Fellow Naval War College” (fnwc) on the successful graduating participants comprising 21 Commanders of the Nigerian Navy, 2 Lieutenant Colonels of the Nigerian Army, 2 Wing Commanders of the Nigerian Air Force and one from the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The course also had International participants with 2 officers from the Cameroon Navy, and one each from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana Navies respectively.
The highlight of the graduation ceremony was the presentation of certificates to the graduating participants and awards presentation to deserving graduands in recognition of excellence. The award categories and winners were; Best Participant from Sister Services – Wing Commander Mohammed Babatunde Bolaji, Best International Participant – Commander Stephen Manu from the Ghana Navy who also emerged Third in Order of Merit while the award for Second in Order of Merit went to Commander Owonam Una Equere and the First in Order of Merit was Commander Adebayo Yusuf Adesokan, who also received the award for the Best Research Paper showcasing his exceptional analytical and academic skills.
During the graduation ceremony, the Commandant NWCN also honoured senior faculty members with the Distinguished Eminent Fellow Award and Distinguished Fellow Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to military education and strategic leadership development. Each recipient was formally decorated and granted the Fellow Naval War College Dagger (fnwc+) designation, signifying their esteemed status within the College.
In his keynote address, the Special Guest of Honour for the Ceremony, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla noted that the NWCN had come of age and was fulfilling the role for which it was established. The CNS also reminded all that the Nigerian Navy’s Operation DELTA SANITY which was launched in January 2024 and relaunched in December 2024 to combat crude oil theft and associated crimes in Nigeria’s maritime domain had significantly contributed to the steady increase in Nigeria’s Crude Oil output which is now about 1.8mbd according to industry sources. Hence, he charged the new graduands to deploy their training to improve the nation’s security operations and put in their best efforts in furtherance of Nigerian Navy (NN) mission objectives once they resume in their new units.
Immediately, after the graduation ceremony, 2 NN Commanders who had earlier been promoted on the course were decorated with their new ranks of Captain by the CNS. The newly decorated officers were; Captain(NN) Musa Buba Alhassan and Captain(NN) Oluwaseun Adebayo Jinadu.
The successful conduct of the graduation ceremony in honour of NWC 9 participants marks another milestone in the development of operational level leaders poised to contribute to the security and defence of Nigeria and their respective nations.
