NAF
NAF Inaugurates Young
NAF
NAF Inaugurates Young Education Officers’
Course
As part of efforts to sustain the quality of education in
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) schools, the NAF today, 19 August 2019,
inaugurated the maiden edition of the Young Education Officers’
Induction Course (YEOIC 1/2019) at the Air Force Military School
(AFMS) in Jos, Plateau State. The YEOIC 1/2019 is designed to
expose newly commissioned officers of Direct Short Service Course
(DSSC 28) to the key aspects of Education Management in order to
enable them function effectively and efficiently in line with the
ethics of the teaching profession. The 77 participants of the
3-week YEOIC would also be intimated with the guiding principles
that have enabled the NAF Directorate of Education (DOEDN) to
sustain the laudable performance recorded in NAF schools over the
years.
In his remarks during the inauguration ceremony, the Guest of
Honour, Air Officer Commanding Ground Training Command (AOC GTC),
Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Idi Amin, noted that the YEOIC could not
have come at a better time than now, when the NAF is striving to
attain world-class levels of efficiency, professionalism and
discipline. He therefore commended the leadership of the NAF, under
Air Marshal Sadique Abubarkar, the Administration Branch as well as
the DOEDN for the introduction of the YEOIC, which, he said, would
awaken the spirit of excellence among Education Officers in the
NAF. The AOC added that the NAF places high responsibility on the
young officers to provide leadership, which could only be
effectively achieved by inspiring the trust and confidence of the
followers.
Speaking further, the AOC stated that the primary objective of
the YEOIC was to equip participants with requisite knowledge to
facilitate their work as Education Officers. While acknowledging
the huge task ahead of them, AVM Amin advised the officers to
ensure they derive maximum benefits from the Course. According to
him “as the current leadership of the NAF continues to vigorously
pursue the agenda of professionalism, I wish to remind you of your
sworn commitment to uphold the constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria and always conduct yourselves in a manner befitting of a
professional military officer”, he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the NAF Director of Education,
Group Captain Samson Adelakun, thanked the current leadership of
the NAF for providing the needed support and logistics that had
made it possible for the Directorate to organise its maiden YEOIC.
He admonished the young officers to shun negative habits and vices
which could truncate their career growth, whilst urging them to
work assiduously towards the development of the NAF Education
Specialty.
In order to enhance the quality of education services in its
units across the country, the NAF has, over the last 4 years,
renovated and remodelled existing infrastructure, as well as
constructed new blocks of classrooms and hostel accommodations in
its schools, while establishing 2 entirely new secondary schools.
The new schools are; the elite Air Force Girls Comprehensive School
Abuja and the Air Force Secondary School (AFSS) Shasha, Lagos. AFSS
Kaduna was also upgraded to a boarding school and renamed Air Force
Comprehensive School Kaduna. This is aside the numerous capacity
building initiatives that have empowered the faculty of NAF schools
for better performance. One of the results of these efforts is the
excellent performance recorded by Master Peter Seunara Arotiba, who
stunned the academic world by emerging as the best overall
candidate in the 2018 May/June West African Examination Council
(WAEC) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) in the whole of
West Africa, with 9 A-1s in 9 Subjects, beating over 1.9 Million
candidates that sat for the Examination. The YEOIC, which would
come to an end on 6 September 2019, is expected to position the
participants to create an environment to replicate such results
when they report to their various units at the end of the
Course.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force
…………..
NAF Commissions Renovated Accomodation
The current Nigerian Air Force (NAF) administration has provided
accommodation to 546 personnel in NAF Base Kaduna from August 2015
till date. This was made known yesterday, 19 August 2019, by the
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, while
commissioning a renovated block of 30 x 2-bedroom flats for Senior
Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) in Kaduna. He also disclosed that
the construction of a block of 10 x one-bedroom officers’ transit
quarters and renovation of another officers’ transit quarters were
also ongoing. He noted that these, when completed, would
accommodate additional 50 personnel.
The CAS, who was represented by the Air Officer Commanding Air
Training Command (AOC ATC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Muhammad
Suleiman, said projects like this were initiated in all NAF Bases
to ensure conducive work and home environments for personnel and
their families in line with the President, Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces directives for enhanced welfare for personnel. He
further said that providing decent housing for officers, airmen and
airwomen remains one of the priorities of Headquarters NAF Policy
thrust, towards ensuring that personnel and their families live in
a befitting accommodation and are therefore better prepared to
respond to various exigencies of the Service. The CAS said the
administration remains committed to upgrading existing structures
as well as building new facilities as part of infrastructural
development drive in all NAF Units. Air Marshal Abubakar disclosed
that the administration would continue to provide the much needed
support to sustain the tempo of operations against insurgency,
kidnapping and armed banditry. He therefore urged personnel to
re-double their efforts to reposition the Service into a highly
professional and disciplined force for effective, efficient and
timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s National
Security imperatives.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commander 453 Base Services
Group, Air Commodore Idi Sani, said that the event is a remarkable
milestone towards improving the living conditions of NAF personnel
and adding to the phenomenal development on the Base. He said NAF
Base Kaduna would continue to remain grateful to the CAS for his
unwavering support towards the provision of shelter and other basic
amenities on the Base. He disclosed that the beneficiaries of the
structure have vowed to reciprocate the exceptional gesture with
continued commitment to duties while developing and upholding a
high maintenance culture. Some of the beneficiaries were handed
over their keys at the occasion. The Commandant Air Force Institute
of Technology, Chief of Staff ATC and Commanders of co-located NAF
Units graced the occasion.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force