Th e Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has built about 2,000 housing units in two years across its bases in the country to accommodate its offi cers and men. Th e Chief of Air Staff , Sadique Abubakar, who stated this at the 46th convocation lecture of Air Force Institute of Technology, AFIT, in Kaduna, said the gesture is meant to boost the morale of its personnel.
Th e CAS, who spoke through Air Officer Commanding, Air Training Command, AVM Christopher Okoye, lauded the federal government for providing the accommodation stressing that it has not only reassured its personnel of the nation’s support but given them confi dence to focus on the goal of securing the nation. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the lecture, with the theme “Contemporary Issues in Aircraft Maintenance in the 21st Century,” was delivered by Olatunji Agoro, Director, Quality and Safety, Dornier Aviation.
Air Marshal Abubakar said that NAF had been well funded within the past two years and expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the unrelenting eff orts at making NAF better. “Our aircraft sustainability has also moved from 35 per cent to over 65 per cent within these two years. Th at’s an incredible speed. “As regard barracks upgrade, we have added about 2,000 buildings constructed in the NAF bases across the country, which is good for the country. “What that means is that, the NAF personnel have where to comfortably work and add value to our eff orts as the pride of the nation.
” “If you look at the key note presentation, it’s all about capacity building and that is why we are collaborating with 13 Nigerian universities. As it is now, we are building the capacity of our airmen and airwomen. “We are looking at the future when we don’t have to go anywhere to repair our aircrafts and that will save us foreign exchange,” he said pledging to add “human face” to build the capacity of personnel. Earlier, Commandant, AFIT, AVM Ishiaka Bukar, said the topic for the lecture was selected to explore ways through which to overcome challenges in aircraft maintenance in the country. Some 247 students comprising offi cers and men of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air force and civilians are expected to graduate from the institute this Friday.
