Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba, Chief of Naval Staff, Nigerian Navy (Rtd) by every standard is a worthy and distinguished Deltan. He served his father land meritoriously in the Nigerian Navy and retired from service recently. Little wonder, therefore, he was recently given a befitting reception by his Ibusa kinsmen. At that reception that had in attendance the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and a host of other distinguished Deltans, it was obvious that he (Admiral Ezeoba) is a loved son of Delta State, a distinguished ambassador, and one of those Deltans who have written their names in gold.
Born in Jos, Plateau State, on 25 July 1958, he began his military career at the Nigerian Defense Academy Kaduna. He also attended the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, United Kingdom, INS VENDURUTHY Kochi India; Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, Nigeria; and the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island USA. He is a Navigation and Direction specialist, Specialist Warfare Officer, a logistician and holds a Masters degree in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan.
He has held several command appointments in the Nigerian Navy which include Commanding Officer NNS YOLA, NNS BRASS and NNS EKPE during the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone. He also commanded the Nigerian Navy Flagship, NNS ARADU. He was awarded the Command at Sea Badge in recognition of his competence and professionalism as a commanding officer.
He also held several training and administrative appointments. Some of these include the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy, premier training institution; NNS QUORRA. He was also the Command Operations Officer, Eastern Naval Command and Principal Staff Officer, Administration, Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji – Nigeria. Others include Director of Operations, Naval Headquarters (NHQ), Director of Training, Defence Headquarters and member, Armed Forces Transformation Committee.
In recognition of his intellectual capacity and operational competence he was appointed the Chief of Training and Operations, Naval Headquarters. Thereafter, he became the Deputy Commandant, AFCSC Nigeria – Jaji and subsequently the Chief of Defence Administration, Defence Headquarters, Abuja. He took over command of the Nigerian Navy as Chief of Naval Staff on 8 October 2012.
He has participated in various national assignments. These include the chairman, Presidential Inter-Agency Maritime Security Task Force (IAMSTF), on acts of illegalities in Nigerian waters. He was also a member of the Governing Board of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Other national assignments include; Chairman NN/NIMASA Committee on Combating Piracy and Environmental Pollution in Nigerian Waters and Chairman Ministerial Committee on Problems of Cargo Allocation by National Maritime Authority (NMA).
He is an international resource fellow and external examiner to the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja. He has attended and presented papers at various international seminars/conferences and symposia in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Singapore, London and USA. He is an associate member of many international organisations such as Royal Institute of Navigation, UK, United States Naval Institute, Certified Institute of Shipping of Nigeria and American Society for Industrial Security. He has authored many scholarly unpublished works with special focus on the strategic importance and security challenges of the Gulf of Guinea presented at seminars, conferences and symposia both locally and internationally.
Vice Admiral Ezeoba is happily married to Mrs Vivian Ifeyinwa Ezeoba and they are blessed with 2 daughters. His hobbies include playing golf, watching football, reading, and listening to jazz music.
Comentários