| Dele Joseph Ezeoba | |
| Honorific Prefix: | Vice Admiral |
| Office1: | Chief of the Naval Staff |
| Term Start1: | 4 October 2012 |
| Term End1: | 20 January 2014 |
| Predecessor1: | Ola Ibrahim |
| Successor1: | Usman Oyibe Jibrin |
| Birth Date: | 25 July 1958 |
| Birth Place: | Jos, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now in Plateau State, Nigeria) |
| Allegiance: |  Nigeria |
| Serviceyears: | 1976 - January 2014 |
| Rank: | Vice Admiral |
| Commands: | Principal Staff Officer Administration, Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) (Jaji - Nigeria), Director of Training, Defence Headquarters, Chief of Training and Operations, Naval Headquarters, Chief of Defence Administration Defence Headquarters Abuja Deputy Commandant AFCSC (Nigeria – Jaji) Operations Officer Eastern Naval Command Director of Operations Naval Headquarters (NHQ) |
| Unit: | Chief of Naval Staff |
| Awards: | Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal |
| Spouse: | Vivian Ifeyinwa Ezeoba |
Dele Joseph Ezeoba (born 25 July 1958) is a retired vice admiral in the Nigerian Navy who was the 20th Chief of the Naval Staff.[1] Prior to that appointment, he served as Deputy Commandant at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Nigeria.[2]
Admiral Ezeoba was born on 25 July 1958 in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.He attended the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, before he proceeded to the Britannia Royal Naval College.[3] He later attended the AFCSC as well as the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.[4] He also obtained a Master of science (M. sc) in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan.[5]
Prior to his appointment as the Nigerian Navy Chief of Naval Staff on 4 October 2012, he was the Deputy Commandant Officer of the AFCSC.[6] [7] He has also held several positions in the Nigerian Navy until he attained the peak of his naval career as the Chief of Naval Staff.[8] He served as the Director of Operations Naval Headquarters (NHQ), Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy's premier training institution, Command Operations Officer Eastern Naval Command and member of the Armed Forces Transformation Committee.[9] [10]
He took part in the following national assignments: