By Joseph Edegbo:
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on Thursday warned Commanders not to allow themselves to be dragged into partisan politics as the nation approaches 2019 general elections.
Rather, he said, they should stay focused on the discharge of the constitutionally assigned tasks of the Nigerian Air Force.
Air Marshal Abubakar gave the warning at a two-day Conference of senior Air Force officers and unit commanders held at the NAF Headquarters, Abuja,
Air Marshal Sadique said the Air Force would operate in line with its constitutional mandate while working towards ensuring that the sovereignty of the Nation was not undermined by any group or individuals.
The Chief of the Air Staff assured the readiness of the NAF to make its aircraft available to the Independent National Electoral Commission to expeditiously distribute electoral materials, if so required.
Speaking on the conference, the Chief of the Air Staff said it was premised on the need to continuously get feedback from the personnel of the service, as part of the bottom-to-top approach of the current NAF leadership.
The Conferenche equally provides an avenue to obtain feedback from various field commanders as well as keeping them abreast of the policy direction of the Headquarters NAF in the months ahead.
It featured a paper by a retired senior NAF officer, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Ishaq Balogun entitled “Technology in NAF Transformation and Service Performance: Imperatives of Research and Development”.
The paper was discussed by AVM Cletus Udeagulu, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola and retired AVM Salihu Bala-Ribah, after which a stimulating interactive session, involving members of the audience, was held and moderated by the Commandant, National Defence College, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo, ..
In a related development, the Chief of the Air Staff also held a one-day retreat for Air Warrant Officers (AWOs) and Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) on the need to sustain discipline and regimentation in the NAF to further enhance professionalism and efficient service delivery.
The retreat featured paper presentations on “Discipline as a Tool for the Success of a Fighting Force” and “Activities of NAF Holding Company: NAF Investment Limited in Perspective.
According to Air Force Spokesman, AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya, the CAS took adequate time to interact with the AWOs and RSMs during which he addressed the challenges presented by them.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/06/21/news/nigeria-police-officer-killed-as-islamic-sect-and-police-clash-in-kaduna/
