JUNE 9, 2026 – Vice Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Africa Rear Admiral Scott Ruston attended the Nigerian Navy 70th Anniversary Celebrations in one of the top population centers and economic hubs in Africa May 31-June 2, 2026.
Ruston visited to congratulate the Nigerian Navy on seven decades of service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to discuss maritime security with regional partners.
“I am honored to share in the celebration of this significant milestone in the history of the Nigerian Navy,” said Ruston. “This event demonstrated not only the regional stabilizer that the Nigerian Navy has become, but what African partnerships can achieve.”
During the celebrations, Ruston attended the International Naval Review at the Eko Atlantic City View Point on Victoria Island June 1. The event was presided over by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and presented by Nigerian Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.
Many other Nigerian government officials and delegations from numerous nations around the world also attended. Several nations also sent naval vessels to participate in the review, marking the occasion historic as Nigeria’s first Internation Naval Review with partner nations.
Ruston attended the Gala Dinner at the Eko Hotel and Suites Conference Centre on the evening of June 1, an event of hospitality and celebration hosted by the Nigerian Navy. The event was presided by Nigerian military officials, emceed by well-known Nigerian entertainer MC Wyze (Amadin Iyenoma Derry), and featured other Nigerian celebrities including Afrobeats artist 2Baba (Innocent Ujah Idibia).
“The passion that the Nigerian Navy has for its country, and Nigeria’s love for its Navy were on full display,” said Ruston.
On June 2, Ruston attended the Seapower for Africa Symposium and defense exhibition, also at the Eko Hotel and Suites Conference Centre. Among the invited speakers was Patrick S. Hayden, Principal Hayden Business Strategies, LLC, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral. Hayden attended in a personal capacity, representing his own individual views rather than the U.S. government. As a strategy session panelist, Hayden spoke and answered questions about his views on the need to incorporate Artificial Intelligence and big data into Maritime Domain Awareness to counter illicit maritime activity in the Gulf of Guinea. Other speakers from the Nigerian military and academia addressed maritime security implications of unmanned vehicles, space-based technologies, and hydrography.
Throughout the visit, Ruston conducted several bi-lateral discussions with delegations from partner navies, focusing on ways that regional partnerships support maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Ruston emphasized the ways in which parters can work together to increase Maritime Domain Awareness, allowing them to more effectively detect illicit activities at sea and efficiently share that information with other parters for mutual benefit. Some of these ways include the use of shared technology, such as SeaVision, and participation in maritime security exercises such as Obangame Express and Grand African NEMO.
“When training and technology sharing in the Gulf of Guinea are African led and parter enabled, it leads to success,” said Ruston. “African Navies are the subject-matter experts in maritime security in this region, and when that is added together with world-leading technology and lessons learned from global maritime operation, that is a winning combination with no upper limit.”
For more than 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Africa has forged strategic relationships to preserve security. Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in both the U.S. Africa Command and U.S. European Command areas of responsibility.
From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Public Affairs