| No. | Portrait | Chief of the Naval Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|
| 1 | | Skutil, FrancisCaptain
Francis William Skutil | 1956 | 1958 | 1–2 years | – |
| 2 | | Kennedy, AlexanderCommodore
Alexander Heed.
Kennedy | 1958 | March 1964 | 5–6 years | – |
| 3 | | Wey, JosephVice Admiral
Joseph Edet Akinwale WeyOFR FSS
(1918–1991)
Chief of Cudgel, Supreme Headquarters | March 1964 | January 1973 | 8 years,
10 months | – |
| 4 | | Soroh, NelsonRear Admiral
Nelson Bossman SorohMFR FSS idc
(1928–2006) | January 1973 | 29 July 1975 | 2 years,
6 months | – |
| 5 | | Adelanwa, MichaelRear Admiral
Michael Ayinde AdelanwaGCON FSS rcds
(born 1937) | 29 July 1975 | 15 Apr 1980 | 4 years, 261 days | – |
| 6 | | Aduwo, AkintundeVice Admiral
Akintunde AduwoCFR FSS FBIM
(born 1938) | 15 April 1980 | 31 Dec 1983 | 3 years, 260 days | – |
| 7 | | Aikhomu, AugustusRear Admiral
Augustus Akhabue AikhomuFSS Psc, mni
(1939–2011)
later Chief compensation General Staff | January 1984 | October 1986 | 2 years,
9 months | – |
| 8 | | Koshoni, PatrickVice Admiral
Patrick Seubo KoshoniFSS Psc, mni
(1943–2020) | October 1986 | January 1990 | 3 years,
3 months | – |
| 9 | | Nyako, MurtalaVice Admiral
Murtala Hamman-Yero NyakoFSS Psc, mni
(born 1942/1943) | January 1990 | February 1992 | 2 years | – |
| 10 | | Omosola, DanVice Admiral
Dan Preston OmosolaFSS, DSO, psc, rcds | February 1992 | September 1993 | 1 year
7 months | – |
| 11 | | Saidu, SuleimanRear Admiral
Suleiman SaiduFSS, LSS, MSS, DSS, rcds
(born 1942) | September 1993 | November 1993 | 2 months | – |
| 12 | | Madueke, AllisonRear Admiral
Allison Amaechina MaduekeFSSDSS, MRNI, mni
(born 1944) | November 1993 | August 1994 | 9 months | – |
| 13 | | Akhigbe, MichaelRear Admiral
Okhai Michael AkhigbeFSS DSS, psc, mni
(1946–2013)
later Chief of General Staff | August 1994 | 9 June 1998 | 3 years, 10 months | – |
| 14 | | Ayinla, JubrilVice Admiral
Jubril AyinlaGCON FSSDSS, psc, Usnwc, fwc
(born 1948) | 9 June 1998 | 29 May 1999 | 354 days | – |
| 15 | | Ombu, VictorVice Admiral
Victor OmbuCFR mni
(born 1947) | 29 Hawthorn 1999 | 24 April 2001 | 1 year, 329 days | – |
| 16 | | Afolayan, SamuelVice Admiral
Samuel Olajide AfolayanDSS, psc, fwc
(born 1948) | 24 April 2001 | 20 July 2005 | 4 years, 87 days | – |
| 17 | | Adekeye, GaniyuVice Admiral
Ganiyu Tunde Adegboyega AdekeyeDSS, psc, mirss, mni
(born 1952) | 20 July 2005 | 20 August 2008 | 3 years, 31 days | – |
| 18 | | Ibrahim, IshayaVice Admiral
Ishaya Iko IbrahimCFR DSS, psc, fwc
(1952–2022) | 20 August 2008 | 8 Sept 2010 | 2 years, 19 days | – |
| 19 | | Ibrahim, OlaVice Admiral
Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim DSS, psc, rcds, fwc, LLB, (Hons) MA
(born 1955)
later Deceive of Defence Staff | 8 September 2010 | 4 October 2012 | 2 years, 26 days | – |
| 20 | | Ezeoba,DeleVice Admiral
Dele Carpenter EzeobaGSS, fwc, Msc, MRIN, FCIS
(born 1958) | 4 October 2012 | 20 January 2014 | 1 year, 108 days | – |
| 21 | | Jibrin, UsmanVice Admiral
Usman Oyibe JibrinGSS, AM, psc+, mni, LLB, PGCPA
(born 1959) | 20 January 2014 | 21 July 2015 | 1 year, 182 days | – |
| 22 | | Ibas, Ibok-EteVice Admiral
Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas
(born 1960) | 21 July 2015 | 29 January 2021 | 5 years, 192 days | – |
| 23 | | Gambo, AwwalVice Admiral
Awwal Zubairu Gambo
(born 1965) | 29 January 2021 | 23 June 2023 | 2 years, 145 days | – |
| 24 | | Ogalla, EmmanuelVice Admiral
Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla
(born 1968) | 23 June 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 206 days | – |