Repositioning the Air Force for greater efficiency

In its 55 years as a professional fighting force, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has had its fair share of neglect and setbacks, just like any other national sectors. However, in July 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, as the 20th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). In the last four […]

In its 55 years as a professional fighting force, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has had its fair share of neglect and setbacks, just like any other national sectors. However, in July 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, as the 20th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS).

In the last four years, plus, of being at the helms of affairs, the Abubakar-led administration has recruited 7,693 airmen/airwomen while 669 officers have been commissioned. Currently, about 206 Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) officer cadets are undergoing training at the Military Training Centre (MTC), Kaduna. Before now, the number of recruits into the NAF was just 500 per training cycle. However, with the expansion of the training facilities at the MTC, the number of recruits has now increased to 2,500.

Aside increasing the manpower due to the new force structure to maintain the integrity of the air space, emphasis is also geared towards enhanced professionalism of personnel. In the last four and half years, the NAF has trained officers, airmen and airwomen in different categories of air and ground functions.  The Service has winged 92 pilots while several other pilots are undergoing various flying training courses. On the whole,about 1,500 re-currency and advanced flying training courses have been conducted for NAF pilots, both locally and abroad, in the last 4 years.

The recent historic winging of NAF’s first female fighter pilot, Flying Officer Kafayat Sanni, and first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile – decorated alongside 11 other young officers after successful completion of their flying training courses speaks to the depth and sweep of the bold, inclusive vision of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar in repositioning the force.

The training has not been limited to pilots, engineers and technicians but equally extended to other operational and administrative personnel. More than 15,114 different training courses have been conducted within the same period. The story is the same across all trades and specialties in the NAF for both commissioned and non-commissioned officers. The NAF now has a much more competent professional force to undertake missions for effective and efficient service delivery.

The Regiment Specialty, tasked with the responsibility of protecting NAF bases and assets as well as national assets like Airports, was relatively ill-equipped with inadequate manpower due to years of neglect.

Today, the Regiment Specialty, under the leadership of Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has not only been reorganized, but adequately equipped and its personnel retrained both at home and abroad to effectively defend NAF Bases and other critical national assets against attacks as well as emerging security threats in the country.

In 2015, the current NAF administration took a bold step to initiate two separate training programmes for the development of the capacity of personnel of the Regiment Specialty. The first, in collaboration with the Israeli Four Troops Team, was for the development of Special Forces (SF) capabilities for the NAF while the second, in collaboration with the British Military Advisory Training Team (BMATT), was for training in Force Protection in Complex Air Ground Environment (FPCAGE). Aside from the local training, some of the elements of the NAF SF have also been trained in Belarus and Pakistan.

The SF was established to deal with the dynamism of contemporary security challenges whilst ensuring base defence and protection of NAF air assets and critical installations.

For an air force previously beset by significant deficits in funding, equipment, logistics, updated combat doctrine, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar has moved unrelentingly to change the narrative and reposition the force to better confront and defeat the foe, on multiple fronts. Significantly, in the heat of conflict, Air Marshal Abubakar has also ensured that the NAF continues to remain apolitical, professional and commendably responsive in the discharge of its constitutional roles.

Louis Achi, defense analyst can be reached at [email protected]