The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated 628 persons from the 2022–2023 Sundry Technical Military Programmes at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), adding to its technical manpower.
This information was released in a statement by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Director of Public Relations and Information for the NAF, on Saturday in Abuja.
The statement claims that the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command, AVM Nnamdi Ananaba, attended the occasion on behalf of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar.
According to the air chief, AFIT’s numerous technical initiatives continue to improve the quality of the NAF’s qualified technical workforce.
The NAF is currently more self-reliant in the maintenance of its platforms and equipment, according to Abubakar, who said that the project played a significant role in this development.
He claims that in addition to the notoriety and assurance that come with such independence, the NAF has developed internal capabilities for various levels of training, eliminating the need for outside training.
In line with his command philosophy of “Transforming the NAF into an agile and resilient force that effectively meets the air power demands of national security in all operational environments,” the CAS claimed that the training is in line with that concept.
According to him, purposeful training and mission-oriented force development are two major enablers of his concept, and AFIT, as the NAF’s top training school, is in a good position to support them.
In order to ensure the highest level of aircraft serviceability and availability in support of national security imperatives, Abubakar advised the staff to keep developing their professional competencies.
He asserts that this is particularly true now, when the nation needs to function at its best in order to handle the recent spike in insecurity.
According to him, the time of treating criminal elements like children is over, hence one must keep moving in that direction until Nigeria’s enemies are subdued.
The CAS praised President Bola Tinubu for his consistent support of the Armed Forces, in particular the NAF, without which, according to him, the current level of operational successes would not have been feasible.
The 628 graduates, of which 37 officers had completed the Initial Officers’ Course and 591 airmen and airwomen had passed different Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Upgrading Courses, were announced earlier by AFIT Commandant AVM Sani Rabe.
In addition, three airmen from Tanzania and four commanders from Ghana’s air force were among the graduates, according to Rabe, who noted that the institute had been educating international people from other African nations.
He claimed that from its founding as the Technical and Supply School in 1977, AFIT has been meeting the NAF’s needs for technical and logistical training.
The National Universities Commission then accredited AFIT as a full-fledged degree-awarding institution accepting applicants from across the country and internationally after the AFIT Act got presidential assent in 2017, he continued.
Senior military officers from Kaduna and elsewhere, as well as officials from the government and traditional leaders, were present for the graduation ceremony.
