2027: Navy Chief Tasks Personnel on Fitness, Warns Against Partisan Politics
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has tasked personnel of the Nigerian Navy to maintain physical fitness and operational readiness as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.
Abbas also warned naval personnel against partisan political activities, urging them to remain apolitical, professional and guided by the law as the electioneering season approaches.
The CNS gave the charge in his remarks during the Nigerian Navy’s 2026 Third Quarter Route March, represented by the Director of Manning, Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Kolawole Olumide Oguntuga, today in Abuja.
The exercise, which commenced at about 5:30 a.m., took off from the A.Y. Roundabout and terminated at the Naval Base Parade Ground, Asokoro.
He described the route march as more than a routine fitness exercise, saying it demonstrated the discipline, resilience, teamwork and operational readiness required of naval personnel.
According to him, the increasingly complex security environment requires personnel to possess physical endurance, mental alertness and professional competence to respond decisively to evolving threats.
He said physical fitness was not merely recreational but an operational necessity and a critical component of combat readiness.
Read Also:
The Naval Chief noted that the Navy’s responsibilities had expanded beyond traditional operations at sea, with personnel increasingly deployed alongside sister Services and other security agencies in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.
He said personnel operating in joint theatres often spend prolonged periods in demanding terrain and under intense pressure, making physical fitness, mental resilience and adaptability essential to successful operations.
“Operational effectiveness begins with individual readiness,” Abbas said, urging personnel to make physical fitness a continuous habit and an integral part of their professional military life.
On the 2027 elections, the CNS said the unity and discipline displayed during the route march were particularly significant as the nation approaches the electioneering season.
He reminded personnel that the Armed Forces have a constitutional responsibility to remain professional, preserve national stability and support the democratic process within the limits of the law and authorised directives.
Abbas therefore directed naval personnel to remain strictly apolitical and non-partisan, warning them against statements, associations and activities capable of undermining the Navy’s core values or bringing the Service into disrepute.
He further urged personnel to renew their commitment to national service, maintain institutional standards and remain operationally prepared to respond whenever duty calls.
The CNS said maintaining professional standards was essential to fulfilling the Navy’s constitutional responsibility to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
By PRNigeria
