Finally, NAF Unveils
Finally, NAF Unveils First Female Fighter, Helicopter
Pilots
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) made history today, 15 October
2019, with the decoration of the first female fighter pilot, Flying
Officer Kafayat Sanni, and first female combat helicopter pilot,
Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, with their pilot wings. The 2
female NAF pilots were decorated alongside 11 other young officers
after successful completion of their flying training courses. With
today’s ceremony, the NAF has successfully winged over 100 pilots
in the last 4 years, who are now adding impetus to the fight
against insurgency and other internal security operations in the
country. During the ceremony, the NAF also decorated the first
female Air Warrant Officer (AWO) in the Armed Forces of Nigeria,
Grace Garba, with her new rank. AWO Garba was promoted to the
highest rank in the Non-Commissioned Officers’ cadre for her
exceptional hard work and contributions to the Service over the
years.
Speaking at the event, the Special Guest of Honor (SGOH), the
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Dame Pauline
Tallen, noted that the winging of the first ever female fighter
pilot and first female combat helicopter pilot produced by the NAF,
is a commendable feat. She added that the event attests to the
laudable achievements and transformation taking place in the NAF
and indeed portrays the Service in good light. She affirmed that
the NAF is a gender friendly institution which has continually
strived to provide equal opportunity for both male and female
personnel, adding that this would, no doubt, encourage all
personnel to strive to achieve excellence in their career. She
remarked that it was obvious that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)
has provided the right leadership and guidance to ensure the
realization of the primary key driver of his Vision, which is
hinged on human capacity development. “We are indeed proud of the
milestones attained by the NAF and the achievements of the Chief of
the Air Staff,” she added.
According to her, the winging of the pilots is a demonstration
of the preparedness of the NAF towards meeting Nigeria’s national
security needs. While commending the newly winged pilots, the
Minister emphasized the need for them to continue to work hard in
order to add value to the operations of the NAF. She further
thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, who in spite of competing
economic needs in the Country, continues to support and give
special attention to the operational requirements of the Armed
Forces.
Earlier in his remarks, the CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar,
noted that the ceremony indeed marked another milestone in the
history of the NAF and expressed his delight over the achievement.
He added that he was particularly happy because 2 of the 13 pilots
winged were female Regular Combatant officers. According to him,
the 2 female pilots were celebrated, not only because they are
female officers, but also outstanding aviators. He revealed that
the first female fighter pilot was trained in the United States,
following an excellent performance during her initial flying
training course at 401 Flying Training School Kaduna, while the
second graduated from Starlite International Academy.
Air Marshal Abubakar further affirmed the readiness of the NAF
to continue to invest in human capacity building, since the Service
is a veritable instrument for maintenance of national security,
stating that the NAF would keep on discharging its constitutional
responsibility of protecting Nigeria’s sovereignty and integrity by
air. According to him, the records indicate that as at today, the
NAF has trained a total of 67 Instructor pilots since 2015.
Furthermore, with the winging of the pilots today, the NAF had
produced over a hundred pilots within the same period. “Currently,
we have 61 pilots undergoing ab-initio/basic flying training, while
50 are undergoing various forms of advanced flying training courses
both locally and abroad”, he added. He expressed confidence that
the NAF and indeed Nigeria would soon reap the benefits that these
pilots would undoubtedly add to NAF operations. He further
reassured all Nigerians that the NAF remains fully committed to the
successful execution of its constitutional roles and will strive to
continually meet its statutory responsibility of defending the
territorial integrity of the Nation, acting singly or jointly with
sister Services and other security agencies.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief of Training and
Operations (CTOP), Air Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao, reiterated that
the new pilots will no doubt boost the pilot manning capacity of
the Service as their deployment to the various NAF platforms will
enhance the fulfillment of the constitutional roles of the NAF,
especially in the ongoing operations in the North East and North
West. He added that, under the leadership of Air Marshal Abubakar,
the NAF has trained 22,841 personnel, comprising of 2,414 foreign
trained and 20,427 locally-trained personnel, in different
specialties over the last 4 years.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force