The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has said the Federal Government procured 12 aircrafts for the Nigerian Air Force in the last one year.

Mr Abubakar stated this at the Air War Course 10/2024 graduation ceremony of the Air Force War College Nigeria, on Friday in Makurdi, Benue State.

He said the federal government deployed the newly acquired platforms to the service between September 2023 and September 2024, adding that the NAF was expecting to take delivery of more platforms in the coming months.

He stated, “In line with the Federal Government’s resolve to adequately equip the Nigerian Air Force for the safe conduct of training and agile airpower employment to meet the nation’s security challenges, it is indeed gladdening to note that, between the last Air War Course graduation in September last year and today, we have taken delivery of 12 new platforms. These include four Diamond 62 surveillance aircraft; two King Air 360 light transport aircraft, 4 x T-129 ATAK helicopters and 2 x Agusta Westland 109 Trekker.

“Moving forward, the NAF is poised to take delivery of 24 x M-346 fighter aircraft6 and 10 additional Agusta Westland 109 Trekker helicopters from Italy. Others are 3 x CASA 295 transport aircraft from Spain and 12 x AH-1Z Vipper helicopters from the United States.’’

According to Mr Abubakar, the service in synergy with other sister agencies has the capacity to confront diverse security challenges in the country.

“To this end, while we augment our airpower measures and approaches, we will promote seamless interoperability of equipment and joint force employment by the services. Therefore, I expect you all to cooperate with other services and security agencies because this is crucial to meet the high expectations of Nigerians, to restore peace and security and ensure a safe and prosperous nation,” he said.

The air chief tasked the graduates to remain relentless in the pursuit of knowledge, true to the core values of integrity, selflessness service and excellence.

He lauded President Bola Tinubu for his continued support to the service, adding that, “we are determined to restore peace in the country.”

Earlier, the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Abubakar, said the nation was currently facing multifaceted security challenges which threatened peace, unity and prosperity.

Represented by Dr Ibrahim Kana, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Abubakar enjoined the Armed Forces to provide innovative and proactive methods to combat security challenges in the country.

“As we gather here today, our nation faces multifaceted security challenges which threaten our peace, unity, and prosperity. Therefore, we need innovative and proactive methods to combat the rise of these violent non-state actors, asymmetric warfare, and complex security threats. The Nigerian Air Force has been at the forefront in addressing these challenges, and your training at this esteemed institution has equipped you with the necessary skills to contribute to this effort.” he said

The Commandant of the College, AVM Adebayo Kehinde said that 26 participants graduated after a nine months study programme.

Mr Kehinde said the graduates comprised 17 representatives of the NAF, two each from the Nigeria Navy and Nigerian Army, two from the National Defence College, one from the Ghana Air Force and two from the Cameroon Air Force, respectively.

According to Mr Kehinde, the next round, billed to begin in January 2025, will have representatives from five additional countries.

Highlight of the event was the presentation of certificates to the graduates by the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Abubakar.

(NAN)