The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Air Force (NAF)

  • Air Force replaces Commander in Northeast

    Air Force replaces Commander in Northeast

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has carried out a major reorganisation of its Air Operations in the Northeast by replacing the Air Component Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole with a new Commander of the Air Task Force.

    Accordingly, the New Commander of the Task Force is Air Vice Marshal Idi Lubo.

    He replaced Air Commodore Tajudeen Yusuf.

    The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Saadique Abubakar who made the announcement said the development was aimed at achieving increased efficiency in the operations of the Air Force against the Boko Haram Terrorists. He added that the new commander would report to the Theatre Commander.

    Air Marshal Abubakar also said the NAF has acquired a total of five combat helicopters and activated new platforms in the Northeast to clear the remnants of the terrorists from the zone and ensure effective and efficient military operations that would engender peace in the country.

    He made the remarks at the opening of the Chief of the Air Staff Fourth Quarter Conference holding at the Blue Room of the NAF Headquarters, Abuja.

    The Conference had in attendance Branch Chiefs from Headquarters-NAF, Air Officers Commanding, Commandants of NAF and some tri-Service institutions, all Air Vice Marshals serving in Abuja, Directors from HQ NAF and NAF field commanders from its various bases.

    The Air Chief said a number of pilots had completed their trainings and deployed for operational duties across the country, while about 500 Special Forces have been trained and deployed as well to ensure operational efficiency in the service.

    Said he: “This conference is to appraise progress made in the NAF since the end of the Third Quarter. The last was held in Kaduna three months ago. The idea is also to obtain ideas from the bottom to the top such that ideas would be shared towards moving the NAF forward.

    “A number of pilots had completed their training and deployed for operational duties. A female pilot, for the first time in the history of the NAF, was on the way to the United States Air Force for training as a fighter pilot, having graduated as the overall best pilot during ab-initio training at 401 Flying Training School Kaduna.

    “The NAF had activated additional platforms which had been deployed for operations in the Northeast. For example, one Bell 412 Helicopter had been activated while work on the second one would be completed before the end of the month.

    “One Mi-35P Helicopter is being reactivated and should be ready for operation by January 2018 ending. The overhauled engines needed for the reactivation had already arrived in Nigeria. The reactivation is being done locally to further build the capacity of NAF technical personnel and also save cost. So, foreign technical experts had been invited to execute the project in conjunction with NAF engineers and technicians.

    “The 2 additional Mi-35M helicopters recently procured for the NAF by the Federal Government had been test flown in Russia and should be operational in Nigeria by February 2018. Therefore, total of 5 combat helicopters are being added to the NAF counterinsurgency efforts.

    “The NAF air operations in the Northeast has been reorganized for increased efficiency. The Air Component Commander has been replaced with a Commander Air Task Force, an Air Vice Marshal (2-star General), who reports to the Theatre Commander.

    “The NAF has also appointed three Divisional Air Liaison Officers (DALO) for the Nigerian Army’s 3 Armourer Division as well as 7 and 8 Divisions in the Northeast. The whole idea is to ensure a better coordination of air efforts with ground operations”, Air Marshal Abubakar asserted.

  • Boko Haram: NAF honours pilot who died in service 

    Boko Haram: NAF honours pilot who died in service 

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Thursday immortalised a pilot, Squadron Leader Promise Gbenekannu, who died in the cockpit while providing logistics support to troops fighting terrorist group, Boko Haram.

    Enlisted into the military on September 24, 2000 and commissioned September 24, 2005, Gbenekannu, 35, suffered a cardiac arrest and died on May 18, last year, while piloting one of the C-130 aircrafts in Borno State.

    Despite the sudden seizure, the young officer was said to have successfully landed the logistics aircraft before he passed on.

    For his sacrifice and diligence, the Chief of the Air Staff  (CAS) Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar named a newly constructed 6 by 3 block of flat inside the Sam Ethnam Air Force Base after him.

    The officer’s widow, Dr. Justina Gbenekannu, who was at the event said she was happy her husband gave his all in the service of the nation.

    She said he led a short but fulfilled life, thanking the NAF for honouring him.

    The woman said: “Life has not been the same after the passing of my husband. It has not been easy coping with two kids alone. Sometimes, it gets me down emotionally.

    “But I am happy because he led a fufilled life and as short as it was, his name has been written in the anals of the NAF

    “If the dead could see, I know that he would be happy wherever he is because of the honour.

    “The NAF is proud of him and we, his family members are also proud of him. He died in active service. “We were married for two years and four months. Those were the most favorable moments of my life.

    “He was a humble man. He was a husband and a father. There are times I wished he was here to continue playing his role as a father to our kids. Our kids will miss him because they won’t be able to say exactly how he was because they are still very young.”

    Abubakar, who was represented at the inauguration by the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Ibrahim Yahaya said the project formed part of infrastructural renewal programme of the NAF, which was initiated in all bases for the good of personnel and their families.

    He said: “The project has been named after one of our fallen heroes who died onboard the C-130 aircraft while on a logistics support mission for troops fighting insurgency and terrorism in the North East. The fallen hero was a C-130 pilot Squadron Leader Promise Leton Gbenekannu.

    “The Sam Ethnan Air Force Base being one of the foremost bases in the NAF and the home of logistics command, is critical to the successful conduct of NAF operations

    “It is therefore, only appropriate that such a base received a commensurate attention in terms of the provision of facilities for the general wellbeing of the personnel and their families.

    “We have embarked on the construction of new quarters, as well as renovation of dilapidated buildings to address the infrastructural decay of the past.

    “Accordingly, providing decent housing for officers, airmen and airwomen remain one of the first priorities of our policy thrust towards ensuring that NAF personnel and their families live in befitting accommodations and are better positioned to respond to various exigencies of the service.

    “Arrangements are in top gear to address many other areas of infrastructural deficit including the renovation of more accommodation facility, as well as rehabilitation of roads and drainage systems in the base.

    “It is hoped that this would create enabling environment and motivation for personnel to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently.”

    Commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his support to the military, Abubakar said: “This has enhanced our ability to conduct counter insurgency operations and also contend with other emerging security challenges across the country.

    “We must sustain our efforts to reposition the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security imperatives.

    “We acknowledge that the human being is the most important in every organisation and equipping them appropriately is central to the achievement of success in securing Nigeria’s air space

    “We therefore remain committed to continuous upgrading, reforming and building of new facilities of part of capacity development drive in all NAF units.”

  • Air force trains 50 specialty personnel at NICT

    Air force trains 50 specialty personnel at NICT

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says its currently training its Works Specialty personnel at National Institute of Construction Technology (NICT), Uromi, Edo.

    Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Adesanya stated that 50 NAF personnel were participating in the training programme which would last four months.

    He added that the personnel were undergoing training in specialised fields such as plumbing and pipefitting, power and domestic electrical engineering, surveying, as well as masonry.

    He noted that “the training programme is an initiative of Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who had continued to place emphasis on capacity building, being prerequisite for optimum service delivery.

    Read Also: NAF procures five Super Mushshak Aircraft to fight Boko Haram

    “It is noteworthy that the ongoing training of the works personnel marks the first time NAF will conduct proper basic training for airmen/airwomen of the Works Specialty.

    “In the past, some of the personnel deployed to the Works Specialty were qualified tradesmen, while many required basic training in specialised fields.”

    Adesanya noted that most works personnel had not been receiving the required formal training and hence relied on on-the-job training to function in the service.

    Consequently, the desired level of professionalism to meet the nation’s contemporary security challenges had been largely missing in NAF works personnel, he added.

    He explained that the training was designed to add value to the skill and knowledge already possessed by NAF works personnel, as way of enhancing service delivery.

    “In addition to facilitating smooth career progression for NAF works personnel, the expertise that the training at NICT provides would be handy in barracks maintenance.

    “With increased construction activities across NAF units, the services of well-trained artisans are needed for quality output, especially in the execution of direct labour projects,” he said.

    Adesanya said NAF planned to train a total of 200 works personnel at NICT, with the current set of 50 trainees forming the first batch.

    “On completion of the training of the first batch, another batch of 50 personnel is expected to train at the institute.

    “The training of NAF personnel at NICT is one of the numerous ways NAF is partnering with local institutions to enhance capacity building, with cost saving implications for the nation.”

  • Air Force destroys Boko Haram Bomb-making facility

    Air Force destroys Boko Haram Bomb-making facility

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said on Wednesday that its component of the Operation Lafiya Dole has successfully destroyed a facility being used by the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

    According to the Director of Information and Public Relations of the NAF, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya the facility was located in Yiwe, south of Konduga, Borno state.

    Adesanya said in a statement supported with a video footage of the operation that the suicide bombing which rocked part of Maiduguri, Borno state capital on November 18 was planned from the Boko Haram Terrorists’ facility.

    ​The statement reads: “In furtherance of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on 20 November 2017, successfully destroyed a Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) facility for manufacturing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

    “The BHT facility, which was in a place known as YIWE Forest, located 23km south of Konduga in Borno State.

    “Previous NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions had revealed the location to be a BHT hideout, from where the Maiduguri suicide bombing of 18 November 2017 was reportedly planned.

    “Available Human Intelligence also revealed that the hideout contained IED-making facility for the insurgents’ suicide bombing attacks.

    “Accordingly, one Mi-17 Helicopter, 2 x Alpha Jet and 2 x F-7Ni aircraft were detailed to carry out air interdiction on the target over a 2-day period. Overhead the location, the aircraft took turns to deliver a combination of bombs, rockets and cannons on the target.

    “The subsequent Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) revealed that the strikes had destroyed the IED-making facility and other BHT structures, killing an unspecified number of insurgents in the process. The air strikes also caused a huge flame within the settlement, owing to the cache of IEDs stored by the BHTs, while a few fleeing insurgents were further strafed with cannons and rockets”.

  • NAF destroys oil barges of stolen oil products in Niger Delta

    NAF destroys oil barges of stolen oil products in Niger Delta

    The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) says it has successfully destroyed some oil barges containing stolen oil products at Adokiakiri community in the Niger Delta.

    The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

    According to Adesanya, the illegal oil barges and storage facilities were spotted by NAF EC-135 Helicopter during an armed reconnaissance mission on Nov.5.

    He said that the illegal barges were all destroyed.

    The director added that NAF remained resolute in making oil theft and illegal bunkering unprofitable for those concerned.

    Read Also:  NAF procures five Super Mushshak Aircraft to fight Boko Haram

  • LWC raises committee to look into water pipes vandalism

    LWC raises committee to look into water pipes vandalism

    The Managing Director of Lagos Water Corporation ( LWC ) Mr Muminu Badmus, on Sunday, said the corporation had raised a committee comprising its management staff to look into vandalism of water pipes.

    In an interview Mr Badmus said that the committee had already started work.

    According to him, it is the duty of the corporation to protect its water pipes as the state has invested heavily in the water sector.

    He said that the committee, which had directors and heads of departments of the corporation, was to find out the level of staff involvement in water pipes vandalism and come up with appropriate punishment.

    Badmus said the corporation decided to set up the committee following the presentation of four new recruits of Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) and seven others by police over water pipes vandalism.

    He said the corporation was worried about such incidence and planned to find solution to it.

    The managing director added that the corporation would not afford to watch and allow water pipes’ thieves destroy facilities meant for the good of the public.

    NAN

  • ‘NAF medical outreach in IDPs camps, Borno, successful’

    ‘NAF medical outreach in IDPs camps, Borno, successful’

    The medical outreach of the Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) in Borno is yielding result with the successful general and eye surgeries performed on 69 Internally Displaced people ( IDPs ) from various camps.

    The NAF’s spokesman, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said that the programme would be extended to over 4,000 IDPs in Monguno.

    Adesanya quoted the NAF’s Chief of Medical Services Branch, AVM Saleh Shinkafi, as saying that the programme was designed to get the support of the locals in the conflict areas.

    According to him, during the programme, free medical treatment will be provided to IDPs.

    “There number could increase as a result of the intensive day and night aerial bombardments by NAF.

    “The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, had also directed that surgeries be conducted, at no cost to the IDPs, for those requiring surgical interventions.

    “A team of additional medical specialists has been deployed to NAF 105 Composite Group Medical Centre to augment the existing medical manpower for the programme.

    “Upon deployment, the medical team immediately started attending to critical surgical cases in IDP camps around Maiduguri.

    “So far, NAF medical outreach team has successfully performed 21 general surgeries and 48 eye surgeries on IDPs from the various camps at no cost to them,” Shinkafi was quoted as saying.

    Adesanya said the director said further that another set of 250 will benefit from free surgical interventions within the 2-day period.

    “This is the fifth cycle of free surgical interventions lined up by NAF for the IDPs in the past two years, during which an average of 200 surgeries were carried out per cycle,” he said.

    The NAF commenced Operation “RUWAN WUTA II”, a few days ago, to further degrade the capability of the insurgents.

    NAN

  • NAF Jets Bombs Boko Haram hideouts, kill scores

    NAF Jets Bombs Boko Haram hideouts, kill scores

    The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) said on Wednesday that it has carried out two aircraft attacks and bombardments of Boko Haram hideouts in Borno state to signal the commencement of Operation Ruwan Wuta II, to further decimate the ability of the terrorists.

    It added that the air strikes coupled with two helicopter attacks on the terror group has led to the death of scores of them and complete destruction of their structures.

    The Director of the NAF Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya in a statement noted that the operation was carried out after series of survaillance and intelligence reports.

    Air Commodore Adesanya said: “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commenced Operation RUWAN WUTA II, as part of efforts to further decimate the ability of the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) to freely operate in the country.

    “The Operation, which commenced on 23 October 2017, is essentially an intensive day and night aerial bombardment that is designed to rain significant fire on freshly discovered hideouts of the BHTs.

    “On the first day of the operation, the NAF conducted several Air Interdiction missions in the Northeast, including one on a location in Garin Maloma.

    “Previous intelligence reports, gathered through Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by NAF ISR platforms had revealed the presence of a large number of BHTs in some dispersed structures in Garin Maloma.

    “Consequently, the location was attacked, in succession, by two Alpha Jet aircraft. The first Alpha Jet aircraft attacked the settlement with bombs, which destroyed the targeted structures and caused fire around the structures where the BHTs were hiding, sending a few survivors scampering for safety.

    “The second Alpha Jet aircraft, which strafed the area with rockets, subsequently took out some of the fleeing BHT survivors. Similarly, BHT locations in places such as Arra and Boboshe, amongst others, were successfully attacked by the NAF Mi-17 helicopter and the newly acquired Mi-35M helicopter.”

    Read Also: Boko Haram kill three soldiers, injure five in an ambush 

  • NAF partners NASENI on training, maintenance

    NAF partners NASENI on training, maintenance

    The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) has completed the training of its 55 personnel in various fields at the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure ( NASENI ).

    The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

    Adesanya said the training, which took place at the seven centres in NASENI, was aimed at further raising the level of technical manpower in NAF through collaboration with relevant local institutions.

    The director added that the personnel were trained in various specialties, such as Lather Milling Operations and General Maintenance, Laser Cutting, Oxyacetylene Welding.

    They were also trained in Networking Tools and Techniques, Repairs of Electronics Circuits, Electronics Testing and Diagnostics, Cabling and Looming Techniques.

    “The intensive training in the various specialties lasted for various durations, ranging from 14 to 30 days.

    “The training has given the personnel the capacity to reproduce some spares locally as well as carrying out more in-depth repairs of electronics items that were hitherto shipped overseas,” he said.

    Accordingly, the partnership was expected to enhance the effectiveness of aircraft maintenance in NAF as well as boosting the Research and Development efforts of the Service.

    Adesanya explained that the training would have gulped huge resources in foreign currency, if conducted overseas.

    He explained further that the collaboration, afforded the service to complete the training of its 55 personnel with less than N6million.

    “The training is in tandem with one of the key drivers of the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, which is “Strategic partnerships with MDAs for enhanced Research and Development”.

    “The training was completed last week and the trained personnel have been deployed as appropriate,” Adesanya said.

    NAN

  • NAF refurbishes disused fire trucks

    NAF refurbishes disused fire trucks

    The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) says it has made substantial progress in its efforts at refurbishing the disused fire trucks in its bases all over the country.

    The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

    Adesanya explained that 17 out of the 24 fire trucks earmarked for refurbishment had been successfully repaired and handed over to the respective units.

    “The latest set of two refurbished fire trucks was handed over to 107 Air Maritime Group, Benin, on Oct. 5.

    “Most of the fire trucks being refurbished had been parked for over 20 years as ‘beyond economic repairs.

    “The refurbishment is being undertaken by a local firm utilising Nigerian Engineers and mostly locally sourced materials and spares.

    “With the refurbishment of the fire trucks, NAF is now able to more independently provide fire cover for aircraft operations at its bases, thereby enhancing operational safety,” he said.

    The director said as part of NAF’s corporate social responsibility, the service was now better positioned to provide complementary services with regards to fire fighting in the host communities.

    He explained further that the local firm had on Oct. 7 commenced the refurbishment of another set of two fire trucks at 041 Communications Depot, NAF Base, Shasha in Lagos State.

    “The leadership of NAF being mindful of the enormous cost of procuring new fire trucks and the scarce resources in the country, decided to explore the option of locally refurbishing the fire trucks,” Adesanya said.

    NAN