The current Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, with a vision shaped by a deep understanding of history of air combat, has fundamentally repositioned the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), a body previously beset by significant deficits in funding, equipment, logistics and updated combat doctrine in a new-to-country conflict.
Today, the NAF is far better prepared to confront and defeat the foe, on multiple fronts and perhaps more importantly, remains firmly apolitical. For example, the obvious gains over the stubborn insurgency and militancy in the North East, being recorded by the military cannot be fully appreciated without recognizing the inputs of the Nigerian Air Force.
Perhaps more importantly CAS Abubakar has succeeded in inculcating the indispensable and core values of excellence, integrity and sincere service delivery into the force. A compelling demonstration that this paradigm shift is bearing fruit is the recent, nationally celebrated action of Aircraftman Bashir Umar, who found and returned the sum of 37,000 Euros to Alhaji Ahmad, the owner of the lost money at the Hajj Camp Market in the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
On July 25, 2019, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) granted accelerated promotion to Aircraftman Bashir Umar who was promoted two steps forward to the rank of Corporal. Umar has not only skipped the rank of Lance Corporal, but has attained a position that would have taken him over seven years of uninterrupted military service to reach.
Umar’s exemplary act of integrity drew the attention of even the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari, who described it as “uncommon, patriotic and exemplary,” while enjoining Nigerians, especially the youth, to emulate such worthy conduct. Clearly, Umar drew inspiration from the man leading his force from the cockpit.
Speaking during the decoration ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who also presented the Airman with a letter of commendation, expressed extreme delight to be part of the history-making, exemplary conduct of the Airman.
Air Marshal Abubakar equally commended the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command (AOC ATC), Commander National Air Defence Corp (NADC), Military Airport Commandant MAKIA as well as the ATC Air Warrant Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) MAKIA for providing the leadership and necessary guidance that had engendered such an admirable act.
With regard to the core value of excellence, similarly compelling examples abound. One of such is the outstanding performance of a NAF officer, Squadron Leader Fredrick Oyenusi, who broke an over 20-year record at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji last year by winning the prestigious “Tie of Merit” for obtaining a “B” grade on the course. Oyenusi’s feat was recognized during the graduation ceremony of Senior Staff Course 40, which took place at AFCSC Jaji on 26 July 2018. Squadron Leader Oyenusi also won 4 additional awards namely the Best in Tri-Service Terms, Best Commandant’s Paper, Best Director’s Paper in the Directorate of Air Warfare (DAW) and the First in order of Merit in DAW. The senior NAF officer, who is a C-130H aircraft pilot, holds 2 Masters degrees; one in Aerospace Vehicle Design and the other in Safety Engineering.
In a similar vein, the NAF participants also emerged best overall graduating participants and swept 8 of 13 awards in NDC Course 27 Graduation. The ceremony held on, August 2, 2019, in Abuja, with the President, Commander-in-Chief, Muhammadu Buhari, as the Special Guest of Honour. These positive developments are unprecedented in the NAF.
It could be recalled that after taking over the command and control cockpit of the NAF, Air Marshal Siddique dramatically altered the nation’s air force story by gradually creating a highly professional and disciplined force via capacity building initiatives for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security needs.
NAF’s focussed acquisition of new platforms and reactivation of existing ones, under Abubakar’s watch in much of the last four years has proven to be pivotal in the significant grounds covered by the nation in the battle against terrorism and other shades of criminality.
By boldly tweaking the NAF’s organizational structure and expansion of its manpower strength, the force has recorded considerable progress in the crucial arenas of boosted professionalism, Research and Development (R&D), human capacity development and personnel welfare enhancement. There is more.
What are the key ingredients of Air Marshal Siddique’s transformation of the air defence component of the country’s armed forces?
At the outset of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency, and his appointment of Air Marshal Siddique as CAS, the Boko Haram sect was shockingly in control of over 20 local government areas in the Northeastern part of the country. The air power component of the nation’s armed forces played a crucial role in liberating these territories from the Sect. Now effectively peripheralised, Boko Haram insurgents are mainly limited to the fringes of Lake Chad and parts of Sambisa and Alagarno Forests. This scenario has facilitated the return to their ancestral homes of many erstwhile displaced persons.
Still on caging insecurity, particularly banditry, the NAF has deployed personnel and offensive air assets as part of the erstwhile DHQ Operation SHARAN DAJI and now Operation HADARAN DAJI. It had also conducted targeted air strikes against identified armed bandit locations under the auspices of Operation DIRAN MIKIYA in the past.
Additionally, the NAF also positioned some Special Forces elements interfacing other Services and security agencies in the various operational theatres. In collaboration with other security agencies, the NAF has continued to provide close air support, air interdiction, in-Theatres liaison flights, medical and casualty evacuation as well as logistics re-supply of ammunitions, water, food and medicine.
On the critical front of Communications and Information Systems (CIS) support for the various Theatres of Operation the air force has enhanced Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) missions mirrored in vastly improved intelligence dissemination. The establishment of the new Geospatial Intelligence Data Centre (GIDC) at HQ NAF, equipped with high-tech computer hardware and software, to improve capacity for acquisition, exploitation, analysis and interpretation of imagery and geospatial information is another positive. This enhances the provision of actionable intelligence for the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
Here, it is noteworthy that the newly established Strategic Air Operations Centre (SAOC) would equally boost the coordination of air operations nationally.
Beyond just strafing and bombing foes into submission, the NAF has also taken its civil-military relations pretty seriously. To mitigate the sufferings of IDPs and win the hearts and minds of those affected by the depredations of Boko Haram insurgents, it established two Level 2 hospitals in Bama and Dalori, Borno state. It also initiated a school feeding programme for 1,000 school children in the 2 IDP Camps. This has greatly contributed to the number of pupils that have returned to school in the area.
The NAF, with humanitarian targeting of members of host communities has continued to conduct medical outreaches all over the country and has so far treated over 300,000 people in different parts of the country in the last four years.
Within the period under review, anchored by Air Marshal Sadique, the NAF has projected air power beyond Nigeria, in the West African sub-region. NAF Alpha Jets were the first and only fighter aircraft deployed in the Gambia to actualise the mandate of the Gambian people and facilitate the peaceful handover of political power to President Adama Barrow. The C-130s, flying the Nigerian flag, also flew humanitarian relief materials to the Sierra Leonean people after the mudslides that affected that country in August 2017.
Despite quirky folklore that ascribes powers of flight by broomstick to some Africans, modern flight requires definitive hardware complemented by advanced software to make impact and achieve set objectives. Outside these hardware imperatives, it would simply become a flight of fancy suitable folklore and fairy tales.
To give teeth to air power as Churchill proclaimed requires capacity enhancement and sustenance. Air Marshal Abubakar ensured that the NAF fleets of aircraft were up-scaled. The Federal Government has acquired 19 brand new aircraft to boost training and combat readiness of the NAF. These include 10 Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, 5 new Mi-35M Helicopters gunships, 2 Bell 412 helicopters and 2 Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopters.
Beside these, 18 additional aircraft have also been ordered by the Federal Government, which include 12 Super Tucano attack aircraft, 3 JF-17 Thunder Multi-role fighter aircraft as well as 3 other helicopters – 2 more Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopters and one Agusta 139W utility helicopter. In the same vein, 20 erstwhile grounded aircraft such as Falcon 900, ATR-42, Beechcraft, Super Puma, F-7Ni, EC-135 Do-228, Mi-24V, Mi-35P, C-130H and L-39ZA have been reactivated, with the reactivation of another 5 soon to be completed; 2 helicopters – one Mi-35P and a Dauphin – as well as 3 additional Alpha Jet aircraft.
Indeed, for the first time in its history, the NAF has conducted multiple in-country Periodic Depot Maintenance (PDM) of its platforms; C-130H in Lagos, 3 Alpha Jet aircraft in Kainji and 3 L-39ZA aircraft in Kano. It is noteworthy that the reactivation of the 3 L-39ZA aircraft has been completed and the 3 aircraft handed over to the NAF on June 21, 2109, while the PDM on C-130H, NAF 917, has been successfully completed and that of the NAF 913 was flagged off in Lagos on June 25, 2019. The acquisitions and reactivation as well as the emplacement of robust logistics support structure have enabled the NAF to raise the serviceability status of operable aircraft from about 35 per cent in 2015 to an average of about 80 per cent as at June 2019.
To further firm up the grounds it had covered, the NAF also undertook structural expansion and more manpower acquisition. In the past four years, it has expanded its force structure by creating two new branches, two new Field Commands as well as several new units including some Quick Response Groups and Wings (QRGs/QRWs), to bring security closer to the people of Nigeria. The two new Commands are the Special Operations Command which is located in Bauchi and the Ground Training Command which is located in Enugu.
The QRGs/QRWs and Regiment Groups, which are manned by NAF Regiment and Special Forces personnel, are located in Nguroje, Taraba State; Ipetu Ijesha, Osun State; Owerri, Imo State and Agatu, Benue State. Other locations where it established new units include Kerang, Plateau State; Kastina, Katsina State; Gombe, Gombe State; Gusau, Zamfara State; Doma, Nassarawa State as well as Birnin Gwari in Kaduna state.
To optimally man the new structure the NAF embarked on massive recruitment resulting in the training of a total of about 7,693 young Nigerians as airmen/airwomen and 669 young graduates as officers.
On the human capacity development front, the NAF has winged 92 pilots in the last four years alone, while 117 other student pilots are currently undergoing training both within and outside the country. It is noteworthy here that the female officer undergoing training in the US will become the first female fighter pilot in the history of the NAF. Similarly, another female pilot is currently undergoing training in South Africa to become the first NAF female helicopter pilot.
Additionally, the NAF has also built several facilities to further enhance training and operations effectiveness. On 26 April 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari, commissioned a new NAF Reference Hospital in Bauchi State. The 60-bed Hospital consists of an Accident and Emergency Unit, Intensive Care Unit, Twin Theatres, Radio Diagnostic Unit as well as Renal Dialysis, Ophthalmic, Dental, Physiotherapy, Maternal and New Born Units in addition to a Mortuary. It is also equipped with modern diagnostic and Life Support equipment intended to provide medical care to critically ill patients such as those wounded in combat. The NAF also upgraded medical equipment at its various medical centres around the country.
Significant investments in R&D are yielding tangible results. Some of the R&D breakthroughs include production of the first NAF indigenous operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), named Tsaigunmi, inducted into the NAF by President Mohammadu Buhari in February 2018. Others are the receipt of patent rights for the production of the Unmanned Ground Vehicles.
In all, the vision of Air Marshal Abubakar remains key: “To reposition the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security imperatives.”
Abubakar believes that, while it is likely, not necessary for all team members to have the same level of historical comprehension as their leader, it is the leader’s responsibility to teach his team enough context to ensure that they all understand why you train in a particular way, lending credibility to the way you choose to prepare.
That captures the essence of the man and certainly will ensure that posterity will remember him as a courageous, charismatic, focused leader, who came, saw and conquered.
David-Stephen writes from Abuja
