NAF Commissions Medical
NAF Commissions Medical Science School, Aviation
Medicine
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) today, 26 October 2019,
commissioned the NAF School of Medical Sciences and Aviation
Medicine (NAFSMSAM) at the NAF Base, Kaduna. The School, which has
3 colleges within its span of control, is tasked with the initial
training of nurses and medical technicians in the allied medical
fields such as pharmacy, medical laboratory and preventive health
services. The School is also expected to organize upgrading and
refresher courses for various categories of NAF Medical Services
personnel aimed at exposing them to global best practices in
aviation medicine.
In his remarks during the commissioning ceremony, the Chief of
the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, expressed his
delight, describing it as a milestone in the history of the NAF.
The CAS recounted that upon his assumption of office in July 2015,
he resolved to improve the welfare services for NAF personnel,
which he perceived as a major requirement in the development of
human capacity for enhanced operational performance. According to
him, while the NAF was being restructured for efficient service
delivery over the last 4 years, there had been series of
infrastructural improvements aimed at repositioning it for more
effective and efficient employment of Air Power. “The
infrastructural developments of the Service necessitated the
establishment of new hospitals and medical centres across the
country to provide adequate medical support for NAF operations as
well as members of host communities”, he added.
Air Marshal Abubakar stated that the School would, no doubt,
help in bridging the manpower requirement gap as well as add
significant value in enhancing the human capacity of the Medical
Services, thereby ensuring NAF personnel are healthy and safe to
effectively discharge their duties. He noted that even before
commissioning, the School had commenced training activities and, as
such, has been discharging some of its assigned roles and
responsibilities. According to the CAS, in August 2019, the School
churned out the first set of students for A1 upgrading courses for
NAF pharmacists and medical laboratory technicians. It has also
organized 2 streams of refresher courses for NAF nurses and an
orientation course for NAF’s newly commissioned officers of the
Medical Specialty. Additionally, he revealed that the Nursing and
Midwifery Council of Nigeria had recently granted the School
accreditation to train nurses. Air Marshal Abubakar disclosed that
the School was therefore ready to admit its first set of NAF
students for training in general nursing.
The CAS stated further that the commissioning of the School and
takeoff of the College of Nursing mark the end of the First Phase
of the School’s development.He explained that the NAF is ready to
partner with relevant professional bodies and councils to gain
accreditation to run courses in various areas of need. He
emphasized that, beyond the effort made to ensure that the School
was commissioned, the NAF has been taking other measures to
motivate its medical personnel. He revealed that the Service has
sponsored a number of medical personnel on courses and conferences
locally and abroad. “I have also approved for the Service to take
over the payment of professional licensing fees of medical
personnel”, he disclosed.
During his welcome address, the Chief of Medical Services (CMS),
Air Commodore Gideon Bako, appreciated the CAS for his vision and
foresight in establishing the NAFSMSAM. He stated that the School
is the flagship of the commitment of the CAS towards enhancing
personnel welfare through the provision of quality healthcare. Air
Commodore Bako also noted that the School would serve to provide
the requisite manpower for enhanced medical services in the NAF,
while also driving the reorientation and attitudinal change of
medical personnel towards patient-focused service delivery. He
recalled that it was under the present CAS that the then
Directorate of Medical Services was upgraded to Branch status. He
added that the NAF today has 3 reference hospitals and many medical
centres upgraded with modern diagnostic and therapeutic equipment
for the benefit of NAF personnel, their families and host
communities. He therefore used the opportunity to express the
gratitude of NAF medical personnel to the CAS for trusting and
investing in the Medical Services Branch.
The CMS equally thanked the CAS for recognizing the hard work of
NAF Medical personnel by approving the elevation of the Home Matron
of the College of Nursing and Regimental Sergeant Major of the
NAFSMSAM, Grace Garba, to the enviable rank of Air Warrant Officer
(AWO). He noted that AWO Garba was not only the first airwoman to
be so elevated but also the first Medical personnel to attain the
enviable rank.
In recognition of their past service and dedication to duty, 4
retired NAF Medical officers, in the persons of Air Vice Marshal
Saleh Shinkafi, Air Cdre Aisha Abdulahi, Group Captain Olayinka
Periera and Group Captain Rakia Omar, had facilities in the School
named after them. The well-attended event had the Secretary General
Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria as well as the Kaduna
State Coordinator of the Council in attendance. Also present were
the Director of Nursing Services Kaduna State Ministry of Health as
well as many serving and retired senior NAF officers.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force
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ROBUST LOGISTICS SUPPORT: NAF GRADUATES 21 PERSONNEL FROM
AVIONICS COMPONENTS REPAIR COURSE
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is continually working to improve
the quality and effectiveness of its logistics support systems,
towards ensuring high serviceability rate of platforms to sustain
the fight against insurgency and other forms of criminality in the
Country. In furtherance of these objectives, the NAF yesterday, 24
October 2019, graduated 21 personnel from the Basic Avionics
Components Repair Course at the at the Central Avionics, Overhaul
and Calibration Centre (CAOCC).
Speaking during the graduation ceremony at NAF Base Kaduna, the
Guest of Honour, Air Vice Marshal Musa Mukhtar, Chief of Aircraft
Engineering, who was represented by the Director of Production
Headquarters NAF, Air Commodore Useni Sylvanus, stated that, since
its establishment, the CAOCC had continued to reassure the NAF of
its ability to maintain Avionics Components, Electrical and
Instrument Systems of all platforms thereby reducing the turnaround
time in aircraft operation as well as saving the Country
substantial amounts of foreign exchange. He disclosed that the
excellent performance of previous graduates of the Centre has
improved the capacity of the NAF technical units and enhanced their
service delivery. He urged the graduating students to build on the
knowledge they had acquired through self-development efforts and
independent research. He equally tasked them to be good ambassadors
of the Centre by imbibing the attitudes of professionalism and
excellence in all they do in order to justify the resources
invested in their training.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commander CAOCC, Air
Commodore Sani Rabe, revealed that the Centre began as a product of
the CAS’ Vision to promote self-reliance in avionics maintenance
and has transformed into a hub of innovation and an important part
of the NAF’s human capacity development initiatives. He disclosed
that the Course is one in a series of tailored practical oriented
in-house trainings, designed by the Centre to improve the technical
capacity, output and proficiency of personnel in the NAF. He stated
that the Course had exposed the participants to basic electronics
principles and practices as well as hands-on troubleshooting and
repair techniques of aircraft systems. The Commander thanked the
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, for
giving the Centre the opportunity to contribute its quota towards
providing robust logistics support as well as contributing to the
entrenchment maintenance culture in the NAF.
The 21 graduating students of the 8-week course comprised 8 male
officers, one female officer, 10 airmen and 2 airwomen. One of the
highlights of the ceremony was the presentation of awards to
graduands who had distinguished themselves during the course. The
recipient of the Commander’s award was Sergeant Umar Nasiru while
the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command’s (AOC ATC) Award
went to Flying Officer Cornelius Benjamin. Flying Officer Samuel
Sanni bagged the CAS’ Award for emerging overall best on the
Course. The event had the representative of the AOC ATC as well as
Commanders and Commandants of co-located NAF Units in Kaduna in
attendance.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force