Falana, Ozekhome, Odinkalu, DSS To Clash At Human Rights Summit

Leading human rights activists are set for a face-off with the
top brass of Directorate of State Security (DSS) and Nigerian
Police at the 2019 “Human Rights Summit” in Lagos.

According to a statement by Messrs Okey Ilofulunwa and Emeka
Nwadioke, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos
Branch Human Rights Committee and “Human Rights Summit 2019
Planning Committee” respectively, the summit will hold on Tuesday,
December 10, 2019 at 1 pm at the AGIP Recital Hall of MUSON Centre,
Onikan, Lagos.

Among the leading lights of the human rights movement who have
committed to attend the event are fiery human rights crusader, Mr.
Femi Falana SAN who will chair the occasion and Prof. Anselm Chidi
Odinkalu, former Chairman of National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC) who is the Keynote Speaker. The theme of the summit is
“Youth standing up for human rights: the case for Nigeria.”

The list of panelists includes such human rights heavyweights as
Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN; Mrs. Ayo Obe, former President of Civil
Liberties Organisation (CLO); Mr. Tony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary,
National Human Rights Commission, and Mr. Monday Ubani, former NBA
2nd Vice President.

Other panelists are the United National Special Adviser on Human
Rights, Mr. Martin Ejidike; Mr. Yusuf Bichi, Director General of
Directorate for State Security (DSS) and Head, AIG Zone 2, Nigeria
Police Force, Lagos, Mr. Ahmed Iliyasu.

Among the dignitaries expected at the summit are the Chief Judge
of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Olanrewaju Alogba, Special Guest of
Honour; Lagos State Attorney-General & Commissioner for
Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN, Guest of Honour and former NBA
President, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, Guest of Honour.

According to the organisers, the summit which is regarded by
human rights watchers as the largest gathering of human rights
activists in recent times, is open to the general public at no
cost. In line with this year’s theme, many university and high
school students have also been invited to attend the summit.

Noting the importance of this year’s theme, the United Nations
said: “After a year marked by the 30th anniversary celebrations of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which culminated on 20
November, 2019, our plan is to capitalise on the current momentum
and spotlight the leadership role of youth in collective movements
as a source of inspiration for a better future.

“Under our generic call to action ‘Stand Up for Human rights,’
we aim to celebrate the potential of youth as constructive agents
of change, amplify their voices, and engage a broad range of global
audiences in the promotion and protection of rights. The campaign,
led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR), is designed to encourage, galvanise, and showcase how
youth all over the world stand up for rights and against racism,
hate speech, bullying, discrimination, and climate change, to name
a few.”

NAF Fabricates APU Test Stand for Aircraft

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has recorded another feat in the
area of Research and Development (R & D) as it has successfully
fabricated a GTCP85 Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Test Stand for the
C-130H aircraft fleet. The local production of this Ground Support
Equipment (GSE), carried out by personnel at 631 Aircraft
Maintenance Depot (631 ACMD) Ikeja, is another innovative project
that would facilitate the operations of the C-130H fleet, thereby
enhancing its availability for logistics missions. The feat is
coming barely a month after the successful local production of the
hydraulic diaphragm for the L-39ZA aircraft fleet at the 403 Flying
Training School, Kano.

Speaking while commissioning the APU at the 631 ACMD today, 2
December 2019, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal
Sadique Abubakar, stated that the NAF had continued to develop
human capacity through robust and result oriented training that has
in turn had tremendous impact on its R&D efforts to develop
indigenous technological solutions to engineering and technical
problems. He said, in a bid to ensure the continued development of
local capacity, the NAF has entered into partnerships with a host
of local and international organizations as well as academic
institutions, including some Nigerian Universities. He said the
local production of the APU Test Stand was a product of these
initiatives and was in line with the commitment to reinforce the
culture of self-reliance through R&D.

The CAS therefore commended the Commander 631 ACMD, Air Vice
Marshal (AVM) Moses Onilede and his team for a job well done. “I am
equally happy to note that the equipment stands out among its kind.
The use of this equipment will save the nation huge foreign
exchange and has equally repositioned the Depot for better service
delivery. It is quite important to state that our modest
accomplishments so far have greatly enhanced the serviceability of
our aircraft holding, thereby enabling us to project Air Power not
only within our country but also beyond the shores of Nigeria. The
NAF thus stands ready to continue to fulfill its primary
responsibility whilst also providing aid to civil authority in
whatever roles that may from time to time be required,” he
assured.

Air Marshal Abubakar also implored aircraft engineers not to
rest on their oars but to continuously conduct research so as to
keep pace with technological advancements in the world with a view
to providing solutions to various challenges. “You would agree with
me that the world is ever-evolving, and that engineers play a
critical role in providing technological solutions to societal
problems. Engineers are therefore expected to work extra hard to
provide innovative solutions to make things happen by exploring a
good mix of knowledge with innovative ideas and creativity”, he
said. While thanking the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, the CAS stated that the various
achievements recorded by the NAF over the years would not have been
possible without the enabling environment and resources provided by
the Federal Government.

It would be recalled that upon the passing of the Air Force
Institute of Technology (AFIT) Bill and establishment of the Air
Force Research and Development Centre (AFRDC), the number of NAF’s
successful R &D breakthroughs has continued to increase. For
instance, the NAF was able to design and produce the first
indigenous operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle named ‘Tsaigumi’.
The NAF also acquired patent rights for the production of Hydraulic
Accumulation Diaphragm, which is a critical item required to
operate the Mi-35 helicopter gunship thereby boosting NAF
operational capabilities in the North East. Weaponization of some
A-Jet aircraft, L-39ZA, Bell 412, Agusta 109LUH, Mi-17 and EC-135
helicopters for deployment in the ground attack role were also
successfully carried out. Moreover, the Design and production of a
test bench for the Alpha Jet anti-skid system in collaboration with
the University of Maiduguri as well as the local repair of Alpha
Jet Engines by NAF Technicians are some of the giant leaps the NAF
had taken to conserve foreign exchange while ensuring maintenance
of capacity to perform the critical role of conducting air
operations in support of surface forces and in response to national
security imperatives.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commander 631 ACMD disclosed
that the APU test stand was fabricated by personnel who were
trained on equipment at the reactivated Machine Tools and
Structural Repair Workshops of the Unit. According to him, the APU
test stand is a unique Aircraft GSE designed to serve many purposes
such as ground power unit to supply electrical power for the
aircraft, air cart to produce bleed air to start aircraft engines
as well as test the C-130 generator. AVM Onilede further disclosed
that, with the Test stand, the capacity of 631 ACMD to maintain and
repair the APU has been greatly enhanced. The APU Test stand, the
Commander said, has been used to repair one unserviceable APU in
the Unit. He said most of the parts used to fabricate the test
stand were sourced locally while those requiring machining were
machined in the reactivated Machine Tools Workshop without any
foreign assistance. The Team that fabricated the APU was composed
mainly of young officers led by Flight Lieutenants Olajide Oyekunle
and Gabriel Onoh.

IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force
………….

NAF GROUND TRAINING COMMAND HOLDS MAIDEN SEMINAR ON LAWS OF
ARMED CONFLICT

In view of the need to sustain the awareness among personnel on
the imperatives of strict observance of the Laws of Armed Conflict
(LOAC) during military operations as well as ensure Commanders
remain conversant with their responsibilities, the Nigerian Air
Force (NAF) Ground Training Command (GTC) today, 2 December 2019,
commenced its Maiden LOAC Seminar. The two-day Seminar, with the
theme “Observance of LOAC: A Panacea for Successful Military
Operations”, is holding at the 551 NAF Station Jos.

In his remarks during the opening ceremony, the Chief of the Air
Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by
the Air Secretary Headquarters NAF, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Mohammed
Ahmed, noted that one of the focal points of his vision is the
development of human capacity for enhanced professional
performance. This, he stated, was premised on the fact that he is a
firm believer that an individual can only give what he/she has and
a human being can only add value to society if he/she has what it
takes to do so. Besides, he observed that an individual’s value to
any community is substantially defined by how much knowledge and
capacity he/she has. He said this focus has had tremendous impact
on the ability of the Service to effectively discharge its
constitutional roles. “I am happy to note that we have made
substantial progress in the development of human capacity in all
specialties within the NAF. This Seminar is one case of such
efforts”, he said.

While recounting that the NAF Directorate of Legal Services had
organized a similar Seminar in March 2019, the CAS emphasized that
the GTC Seminar was aimed at further expanding the target audience
in the wake of increasing observations of human rights abuses
within the theatres of operation and their attendant negative
consequences on military operations. According to the CAS, “it has
become increasingly important to constantly remind ourselves on the
rules and regulations guiding the use of arms in crises situations
particularly during internal security operations”. Air Marshal
Abubakar, who expressed confidence in the calibre of resource
persons at the Seminar, urged participants to be broad minded and
come up with innovative ideas that would improve the observance of
human rights by the NAF in the performance of its constitutional
roles. He added that the NAF, in keeping with its usual practice,
would use the recommendations of the seminar to improve its
processes and procedures.

In his welcome address, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) GTC,
Air Vice Marshal Idi Amin, said the Command was aware that the
products from its various training institutions, particularly
Regiment and Special Forces personnel who are deployed mainly for
ground operations in various theatres of conflict within the
country, need to be equipped with requisite knowledge that would
guide their conduct. He said the Seminar was accordingly being held
to increase awareness among the personnel as well as create
consciousness among Commanders of their responsibilities with
respect to LOAC. He said the outcome of the Seminar would also be
used to enhance the training curricula of both the Military
Training Centre and the Regiment Training Centre. While thanking
the CAS for his guidance, support and visionary leadership, the AOC
pledged the commitment of the officers and airmen/airwomen of the
Command to continue contributing their quota towards the
accomplishment of the NAF’s Mission.

The first paper titled “Observance of the Law of Armed Conflict
During Military Operations” was delivered by AVM Ahmed and
discussed by Professor CJ Dakas of the University of Jos, Brig Gen
FJ Udaya (rtd) of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic
Studies (NIPSS) and Major AB Bello (rtd) of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Other papers to be delivered
during the Seminar are “Command and Individual Responsibilities
during Asymmetric and Internal Security Operations” and “Ensuring
Human Rights and Public Trust during Military Operations in
Internal Security”. In attendance at the Seminar are Branch Chiefs
from Headquarters NAF, Air Officers Commanding as well as many
other senior military officers, both serving and retired, and
personnel from units under GTC.

IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force