The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated another batch of 298 regiment personnel trained in special warfare by the British Military Assistance Training Team (BMATT).
Of the graduating personnel, 235 went through the Basic Regiment Airmen’s Course to enhance their capacity for airfield defence.
The additional six-week special warfare course was aimed at developing the capacity of personnel in force protection in complex air ground environment.
Director of Public Relations and Information Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, said some of the personnel also received classes on instructional techniques to enable them train other NAF personnel in special warfare. Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Guest of Honour, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, reiterated the commitment of the NAF to human capacity development.
The CAS noted that the special warfare training became necessary to protect the limited resources available, including critical air assets, to undertake the NAF’s statutory responsibilities.
He urged graduands to optimise the gains of their training in such a way that it would add value to the society, assuring them of the NAF’s continued commitment to the creation of a conducive environment for training and effective discharge of their duties.
Air Marshal Abubakar further charged the graduating regiment personnel to have respect for the rule of law and human rights in the discharge of their duties. “Our social contract with the Nigerian people is one we cannot afford to take for granted, especially now that much more responsibilities are vested in us”, he said.
In their remarks, both the Chairman Senate Committee on Air Force, who was represented by Senator Aliyu Wakili, and the Chairman House Committee on Air Force, Honourable Samson Okwu, were full of praises for the NAF leadership owing to the evident progress made by the NAF in recent times.
They also promised to continue doing their best to encourage the NAF by giving every necessary support. Given the importance of bases in the air power delivery matrix, the training would enable the regiment personnel to respond to a wide range of situations that might threaten NAF bases across the country. To further demonstrate the importance attached to regiment training, it would be recalled that the CAS only recently joined the NAF Regiment personnel during a bush exercise organised in Kaduna.
A total of 66 instructors from BMATT were involved in the training programme.