Navy Town, Lagos: a guide to the barracks district

On the western side of Lagos, along the corridor that runs out towards Badagry, the city mixes markets, universities and military land in a way few other parts of it do. Navy Town is one of those military districts: a Nigerian Navy community in Ojo, home to units of the navy and the people who serve in them. If you are moving there, visiting someone, or simply trying to work out where it is on the map, this guide sets out what is known about it and what to expect.

Where Navy Town is

Navy Town is in Ojo, a local government area in the Badagry Division of Lagos State. Ojo was carved out of the old Badagry local government area in May 1989, under the military government of Ibrahim Babangida. It covers about 182 square kilometres, and at the 2006 census it had 609,173 residents; later estimates put it well over 800,000. Ojo’s best-known features include Navy Town, the Ojo military cantonment, Lagos State University and Alaba International Market, all within reach of the Lagos–Badagry Expressway.

Ajegunle, Kirikiri and Apapa lie to the east, on the way into the centre of Lagos.

What is there

Navy Town is a working base as well as a place to live. According to published lists of the Nigerian Navy’s units, Navy Town in Ojo hosts NNS WEY, a maintenance unit, and the navy’s underwater warfare school, and the navy also has a naval air base at Ojo. Like most Nigerian barracks communities, it is home to service personnel and their families, with the everyday life that goes with that.

The navy’s main command for this part of the country is not in Ojo but in Apapa, where the Western Naval Command has its headquarters, alongside the operations base NNS Beecroft and the training establishment NNS Quorra.

A short history of the Nigerian Navy

The navy traces its roots to the Nigerian Marine of colonial times, formed in 1914. A Nigerian Naval Force followed, whose first basic training course began on 1 November 1957. In July 1959 it was granted the title Royal Nigerian Navy, and in 1963 it became simply the Nigerian Navy.

Visiting a barracks area

Navy Town is military land, and it is worth treating it that way. A few sensible habits:

• Expect checks. Military areas have controlled entrances. Have identification with you, know the name and number of the person you are visiting, and follow instructions at the gate politely.
• Do not take photographs of gates, installations, vehicles or personnel, and ask before photographing anyone.
• Dress and drive sensibly. Barracks roads often have their own speed limits and rules. Follow them.
• Ask your host. Somebody who lives there will know the current visiting arrangements far better than any website, including any times of day when entry is restricted.

Moving to Navy Town

Most people who move to Navy Town do so because someone in the family serves, or has been posted nearby. If that is you, a few practical points are worth settling early:

• Housing. Accommodation inside a barracks is allocated through the service, not rented on the open market. Ask the unit what applies to you before you sign for anything outside.
• Schools. Ask other families which schools their children attend; barracks communities usually have strong word-of-mouth networks.
• Power and water. As anywhere in Lagos, plan for a generator or another backup and ask neighbours how reliable the supply is.
• The commute. If you will work in central Lagos or the ports, test the journey at rush hour before you commit to a routine.
• Markets. Alaba and the other Ojo markets are close by for electronics and household goods, and smaller local markets cover food. Ask a neighbour which days are best.

What else is nearby in Ojo

Lagos State University

LASU was established by the Lagos State government in 1983, and its main campus is at Ojo, along the Badagry Expressway. Its students are a big part of the area’s life, and plenty of businesses around Ojo serve them.

Alaba International Market

Ojo is also home to Alaba International Market, generally described as the largest electronics market in Nigeria, and to a separate livestock market, Alaba Rago. If you are heading there, read our guide to shopping at Alaba first.

The Trade Fair complex

The old Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, on the expressway, is another of Ojo’s major trading points.

Getting there

The Lagos–Badagry Expressway is the main road into Ojo from central Lagos. Traffic on it can be heavy at peak times, especially where it meets the roads from Apapa and the ports, so allow more time than the distance suggests and check local news on the day. Buses, danfos and keke run the corridor; ask locally for the stop nearest your destination.

Navy Town in AJ Cities

AJ Cities, our free browser game, is set in an invented estate on the edge of Ajegunle, on the spot where Navy Town meets Kirikiri. In the game, behind the estate’s west wall toward Navy Town, soldiers and police train side by side at an invented Ajegunle Joint Training Facility, so June 12 Street is never short of uniforms, and they eat at the restaurant at No. 1. The facility, the estate and everyone in them are fiction: the game does not show the real Navy Town or any real unit. Find out more about Abraham Adesyan Estate.

Where is Navy Town in Lagos?

Navy Town is in Ojo local government area, in western Lagos, near the Lagos–Badagry Expressway.

What navy units are at Navy Town?

Published lists of the Nigerian Navy’s units place NNS WEY, a maintenance unit, and the underwater warfare school at Navy Town, Ojo. The navy also has a naval air base at Ojo.

Is the Western Naval Command in Navy Town?

No. The Western Naval Command’s headquarters is at Apapa, with the operations base NNS Beecroft.

Is Navy Town near LASU and Alaba?

Yes. Lagos State University’s main campus and Alaba International Market are both in Ojo too.