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Nigerian Navy Ranks, Badges/Insignia And Salary Structure

nigerian navy ranks

Are you currently searching for a comprehensive article that will provide complete information about the Nigerian Navy Ranks, symbols, and their respective salary structures? Then you’re reading the right blog post as it contains all the information you may need on the Nigerian Navy Ranks and their salary structures.

With several thousand navy personnel, the Nigerian Navy is one of the largest Navies on the African continent which includes those of the Coast Guard. Each member of the Nigerian Navy has his/her unique rank.

Ranks in the Nigerian Navy are divided into two parts which are commissioned officer ranks and non-commissioned officer ranks.

A Non-commissioned officer abbreviated as NCO is a military officer (naval officer in this case) who has not earned a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually work their way up by promotion through the enlisted ranks.

On the other hand, commissioned Naval officers hold higher ranks than Non-commissioned ones. They have more legal responsibilities, are paid more, and most times they have more little or no military training at all.

These commissioned officers are usually degree holders and highly educated officers in the navy. Commissioned officers usually earn their commissions without working their way up through the enlisted ranks.

Nigerian Navy Ranks (Commissioned Officers)

  • Admiral of the Fleet
  • Admiral
  • Vice-Admiral
  • Rear Admiral
  • Commodore
  • Captain
  • Commander
  • Lieutenant Commander
  • Lieutenant
  • Sub-Lieutenant
  • Acting Sub-Lieutenant
  • Midshipman

Nigerian Navy Ranks (Non-Commissioned Officers)

  • Warrant Chief Petty Officer
  • Chief Petty Officer
  • Petty Officer
  • Leading Rating
  • Able Rating
  • Ordinary Rating
  • Trainee

Salary Structure For Commissioned Officers In The Nigerian Navy

This part of the blog post contains a breakdown of the yearly and monthly salaries of Commissioned Naval Officers in Nigeria. Officers with higher ranks get the highest salaries and this is expected.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t provide the salaries of some Commissioned and all Non-commissioned officers. This post will be updated as soon as we lay hands on the salary structure of these officers.

Admiral

  • Yearly Salary – ₦16,303,140
  • Monthly Salary – ₦1,358,595

Vice-Admiral

  • Yearly Salary – ₦13,363,229
  • Monthly Salary – ₦1,113,602

Rear Admiral

  • Yearly Salary – ₦12,038,945
  • Monthly Salary – ₦1,003,245

Commodore

  • Yearly Salary – ₦7,385,856
  • Monthly Salary – ₦615,488

Captain

  • Yearly Salary – ₦3,715,859
  • Monthly Salary – ₦309,655

Commander

  • Yearly Salary – ₦3,380,086
  • Monthly Salary – ₦281,674

Nigerian Navy Ranks For Commissioned Officers & Their Badges/Insignia Explained

Note – Non-Commissioned Officers in the Nigerian Navy do not have Badges/Insignias and they won’t be included in this section.

admiral of the fleet nigerian navy
Admiral Of The Fleet Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

1. Admiral of the Fleet

This is the highest rank that can be given to any Nigerian Naval Officer. It is rarely conferred because is an honorary position and can only be given to very highly placed officers in the navy.

The Admiral of the fleet is similar to the Marshal (Nigerian Air Force) and Field marshal (Nigerian Army).

admiral nigerian navy
Admiral Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

2. Admiral

The Admiral is more like the highest rank in the Nigerian Navy currently. Although being the second place after the Admiral Of The Fleet, the Admiral is the highest rank in the Nigerian Navy because it is very uncommon to see an officer attain Admiral of the fleet rank.

It is equivalent to the rank of a General (Nigerian Army) and the Air Chief Marshal (Nigerian Air Force).

vice admiral nigerian navy
Vice Admiral Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

3. Vice-Admiral

The Vice-Admiral is one of the highly placed navy ranks in the Nigerian Navy. Officers who attain this rank are also called 3-star officers.

Vice-Admirals are similar to the Lieutenant General in the Nigerian Army and the Air Marshal in the Nigerian Air Force.

It is also worthy to note that the Chief of the Naval Staff in the Nigerian Navy is a Vice-Admiral.

rear admiral nigerian navy
Rear Admiral Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

4. Rear Admiral

The Rear admiral rank is the lowest of all Admiral ranks in the Nigerian Navy. Officers who attain this rank are often referred to as Flag Officers or 2-star officers.

The Rear-Admirals are the direct superior of the Commodores and a junior to the Vice-Admirals.

commodore nigerian navy
Commodore Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

5. Commodore

Commodore is a naval rank in the Nigerian Navy that is superior to a navy captain but below a rear admiral. Commodores are officers who are assigned to command more than one ship at a time.

This rank is equivalent to Brigadier (Nigerian Army) and the Air Commodore in the Nigerian Air Force.

captain nigerian navy
Captain Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

6. Captain

The Captain is also one of the navy ranks In the Nigerian Navy. Captains are mostly the commanders who command the largest warships in the Navy.

This rank is above the commander in the navy and below the Commodores. It is also similar to an Army colonel in the Nigerian Army.

commander nigerian navy
Commander Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

7. Commander

Commander (CDR) is a senior officer rank in the Nigerian Navy. These officers are usually in charge of small ships and land units in the Navy.

It is similar to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Nigerian Army) and a Wing Commander in the Nigerian Air Force.

lieutenant commander nigerian navy
Lieutenant Commander Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

8. Lieutenant Commander

A Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned Naval officer in the Nigerian Navy. Officers in this rank are directly superior to a lieutenant and below the commander.

This Naval rank is similar to that of a Major in the Nigerian Army and the Squadron Leader in the Nigerian Air Force

lieutenant nigerian navy
Lieutenant Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

9. Lieutenant

The word Lieutenant also means assistant or deputy and that’s exactly what officers in this rank are.

This rank is also the same as the rank of Captain in the Nigerian Army and a Flight Lieutenant in the Nigerian Air Force

sub-lieutenant nigerian navy
Sub-Lieutenant Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

10. Sub-Lieutenant

A Sub-Lieutenant is a commissioned Naval Officer in the Nigerian Navy. This rank is just below the Lieutenants and superior to the Midshipmen.

It is also equivalent to the rank of a Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army and a Flying Officer in the Nigerian Air Force.

midshipman nigerian navy
Midshipman Badge/Insignia – Nigerian Navy

11. MidShipman

The Midshipman is also one of the navy ranks in the Nigerian Navy. Midshipmen are also the lowest ranking officers of all Commissioned officers in the Nigerian Navy.

This rank is below the Sub-Lieutenants or Acting Sub-Lieutenants and above all Non-Commissioned Officers in the Nigerian Navy.

It is also the same as the rank of the Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army and the Pilot Officer in the Nigerian Air Force.

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