Nigerian Navy Recruitment; Advantages & Disadvantages

I suppose it is only apt to point out how scarce it is to find information about the positives and pitfalls of working for the Nigerian Navy. That being said, we did our best to get you everything you need to know about the Nigerian Navy Recruitment exercise, the advantages of working for the Navy and the disadvantages as well.

The Nigerian Navy is a branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, every year they recruit able bodied men and women into the force. The official recruitment portal is at http://www.service.nigeriannavy.gov.ng/ the application form and instructions are all there. All the information you might need officially. Like the fact that their are 13 departments the Navy recruits into:

• Accounts and budget
• Chaplain
• Education
• Engineering
• Human Resource Management
• Hydrography
• Information and Communication Technology
• Imam
• Legal services
• Logistics
• Medical
• Music
• Sports

It follows that the minimum educational requirement for applicants into any of these departments is a first degree – B.Sc., B.A., or HND. Holders of the Ordinary National Diploma (OND) or the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) are not expected to apply and holders of the B.Sc. or B.A. must possess at least a second class upper, and HND holders HND must possess at least an upper credit from an accredited institution within or outside the country.

If you search around the internet further for first hand account of  what the work experience is like with the Nigerian Navy you might be left disappointed as you will find none. 2 things you will however find is that “the pay is good” as far as salaries go and its a pensionable job regardless of what departments you get into. But common knowledge will also let you know that “the same way many are looking to get into working for the Nigerian Navy many are also looking to get out”… The reasons for this are not explicitly stated but investigating further revealed that a lot of times “most military and para-military agencies do not treat the families of personnel who lose their lives in the line of duty very well.” This should never be the case in such an agency but it is clear now every institution in Nigeria is broken, and none was left out at that.

Like I said before, we have no first hand account. This is all just information gathered together in one place to help you make an informed decision about working for the Nigerian Navy/The Nigerian Army at large.

You will also find that you do not need to know how to swim to apply to the Navy, you will be taught when you do get into the academy. As a man applying you will also need to be at least 1.7 meters tall while female applicants must be at least 1.67 meters tall. You can not have any disabilities of any kind, even shortsightedness will get you disqualified. All applicants must be between the ages of 22 and 28. This age restrictions do not apply to doctors, lawyers, architects, Imams, and chaplains, who should not be more than 30 years of age.

You are advised to not take any kind of letters of recommendations from any kind of authorities with you to your screening as that might be perceived as an attempt to circumvent the screening process… Scouring around online will also bring you to the shocking discovery that many believe admission is not by merit and you should otherwise seek assistance from a senator or an “authority” in the system or maybe even a political power of some kind. But of course this might only be because we are in Nigeria. Maybe it is true or maybe it is false. If you are really interested in working with the Nigerian Navy, go for it. You can get yearly updates and information about dates, deadlines and requirements right here on NGScholars. Join our mailing list to get timely updates.