By Madu Onuorah
When Nigerian Navy ended its two-day retreat on April 20, 2021, one thing stood out. The retreat, attended by Chief of the Naval Staff (Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo), Principal Staff Officers at NHQ, Flag Officers Commanding (FOCs), Commanders of operations bases and units, ships and establishments, made a pitch that “NHQ (Naval Headquarters) is to lobby the Grand Strategic Level of Command for the procurement of a new frigate to serve as Flagship to replace the Nigerian Navy Ship ARADU and improve NN Order of Battle.”
NNS ARADU, the Meko 360H1 class multipurpose frigate, is the current flagship of the Navy flagship. It was laid down at the Blohm Voss shipyard in Hamburg on December 1, 1978, and launched on January 25, 1980. It replaced the smaller, older frigate, NNS Obuma.
At her prime, NNS ARADU was armed with wide range of armaments, including anti-ship and anti-air missiles, anti-submarine torpedoes and rockets, as well as powerful naval guns.
Then, it spearheaded Africa’s most powerful fleet, comprising of NNS Obuma, four corvettes of the Dorina and Erin’mi classes and six missile boats – three Ekpe class of German design and three Siri class of French design. In addition to these vessels, there was a capable force of minesweepers, seaward defence boats and patrol craft.
At that time, NNS ARADU was one of the most capable dual-purpose guns in the world and its anti-aircraft guns was so devastating it could destroy a supersonic cruise missile at up to three kilometers. And in case of a squabble with enemy ships, the NNS Aradu was armed with eight Otomat Mk 1 anti-ship missiles.
Its other equipment and weapons includes a 6 x 324 mm torpedoes and a depth charge rack for anti-submarine warfare. Also, an ECM suite is fitted, with a Decca RDL-2 ESM system, and two chaff mortars.
In addition, a Lynx helicopter was usually carried onboard the ship during operations.
In her prime, NNS ARADU undertook extensive diplomatic visits to countries like Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Equatorial Guinea and numerous European countries. She has also participated in joint exercises with visiting ships of the German, Indian, French and the Brazilian Navies.
In 2005, NNS ARADU brought glory to Nigeria when it participated in the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar by sailing to Great Britain. It also took part in “Operation Seadog” in 1985, “Operation Odion” in 1987.
NNS ARADU was firmly on duty during the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) military intervention in Liberia, showing its dominance and that of Nigeria as it patrolled the Liberian waters, showing the national flag.
But today, the flagship is a shadow of its former glory as it sits at Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos. It underwent a successful refit. But it cannot be deployed easily for maritime operations now as before. It sure needs a replacement as it has been out of action for years, having lost its remarkable capabilities.
The Navy, in its recapitalization of fleet goals, has already acquired 378 platforms, including warships, patrol boats and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Among them are 172 patrol boats, 114 Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), two Seaward Defence Boats, 12 Manta class boats, three Whaler boats, three tugs and two barges.
Other platforms acquired include 22 fast attack boats, 14 UAVs, four helicopters, 14 River Town class boats, 12 house boats and four capital ships.
Director of Naval Information, Commodore Suleiman Dahun, added that “France’s Ocea shipped the third and fourth C-Falcon interceptors (P273 and P274) to Nigeria, via cargo ship. The first two (P271 and P272) were delivered at the end of 2020.
“Over the last eight years Ocea has supplied one FPB 98 Mk I patrol vessel, eight FPB 72 Mk II and two FPB 110 Mk II patrol vessels to Nigeria. Ocea also won three tenders for two additional FPB 110, one OSV 190 SC-WB and four C-Falcon vessels.
“The two additional 35 metre FPB 110 boats were delivered by the end of 2020. In September last year, Ocea launched a new hydrographic survey ship, the Lana, which is expected to be delivered by April 2021.”
Commodore Dahun added that the Navy “is also expecting four 17 metre Suncraft Manta boats from Malaysia (these were built in 2020) while Damen is set to deliver two 40 metre fast patrol boats. The Damen boats are being built at its facilities in Vietnam. On the smaller end of the scale, Suncraft has supplied 25 of its 9.5 metre long rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) and 15 of its 8.5 metre RHIBS.
“Another 90 small boats are either expected or have been delivered to the Nigerian Navy. Acquisitions include locally manufactured vessels. Indigenous construction of a third 43 metre Seaward Defence Boat (SDB) and two logistic supply vessels/houseboats at the Naval Dockyard Limited and Naval Shipyard Limited respectively are progressing steadily. These vessels were expected to join the service in the first quarter of 2021.
“In addition, about 170 riverine patrol boats were built in Nigeria and more acquisitions are planned. On the aerial side, the Nigerian Navy has taken delivery of a single AW139 helicopter from Leonardo Helicopters and is in the process of procuring 14 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to enhance response capability, through South Africa’s Epsilon and CACTIC in China.
“These are expected to be delivered within the current year. Over the last six years, the Nigerian Navy has acquired a total of 378 platforms, including 172 patrol boats, 114 RHIBs, two Seaward Defence Boats, 12 Manta class boats, three Whaler boats, three tugs and two barges.
“Other platforms acquired included 22 fast attack boats, 14 UAVs, four helicopters, 14 River Town class boats, 12 house boats and four capital ships. These acquisitions come as the service attempts to deal with a continued spate of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea as well as oil thieves and other criminals in the Delta region.”
One of the Navy’s largest operational assets are the two Hamilton class P18N Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) procured from CSOC in April 2012. Though they are based on the Chinese Navy’s Type 056 missile corvettes, they have a dramatically reduced armament of a single 76mm gun, with a secondary armament of two 30mm and two 20mm guns.
With these acquisitions, including the latest Offshore Survey Vessel, NNS LANA which arrives Nigeria on May 17, the nation still lacks a much more functional flagship, which make the replacement of NNS ARADU, imperative.
The acquisition of a new flagship, and the deployment of the littoral vessels, will help Nigeria focus on regional security while pursuing its traditional power projection capability far beyond the nation’s 856-kilometre coastline and the various oil and gas installations dotting the landscape.
On paper, Nigeria is a potent force eager to show its maritime power, just as true blue water Navies like Egypt, Algeria, South Africa or Morocco.
Though it faces little or no conventional naval threat from any of its neighbours, it needs to build its way back as a major continental viable force capable of performing critical missions beyond the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
It needs to enlarge its surveillance to be able to conduct offensive and defensive operations towards securing the sub-region against piracy, armed robbery at sea, crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, poaching, smuggling, vandalism, kidnapping, proliferation of small arms, illegal waste dumping and oil pollution.
After all, its maritime neighbours majorly depend on it for their own security. And a new flagship to replace the aging NNS ARADU would surely enhance this task.
Madu Onuorah, Publisher of Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN), was a foremost Defence Correspondent