The Nation Newspaper

Tag: security

  • FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has deployed 10 Hilux patrol vehicles to tighten security at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The airside is the area of an airport with direct access to the aircraft. Entry to the place is controlled.

    In an interview in Lagos, FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the deployment was part of measures to enhance efficiency and security at the airport.

    She said: ”The authority will like to assure airport users and the public that we will continue to upgrade our facilities, processes and procedures, in consonance with our core values of security, safety and comfort.”

    In a related development, FAAN has automated the car park at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

    Mrs Yakubu said  within one month of the  exercise, it has recorded 68 per cent increase in revenue.

    She said the exercise had blocked some of the leakages in the system.

    She said with the automation, rowdiness and  traffic gridlock  caused by the manual collection at the park had disappeared.

    Mrs Yakubu  said  FAAN would review the performance of the exercise by the end of this quarter and make adjustments where necessary. He noted that so far, the new system had been in favour of both FAAN and the public.

    FAAN started the automation of the GAT car park on January 8, a development that has eliminated the manual collection of toll which was in place for about two decades.

    She said: “FAAN decided to overhaul the whole system and see how we could make it orderly because we were getting a lot of complaints from our passengers and airport users that they were not getting space to park their vehicles.Then, we were wondering if all the people that parked their vehicles at the car park were airport workers and travellers. Also, we are in an era of technology where people no longer do things manually, but automated. That was what prompted FAAN into doing the automation.

    “And since we started, there has been a lot of sanity at the car park. There is a lot of orderliness, progression. As soon as you go into the airport, you just go into the car park without any issues. In time past, there were lots of queues. Once you get into the airport, if you are not dropping, you are encouraged to go to the car park and do your business there, rather than parking on the road and create traffic jam.”

    Despite the automation of the car park, Mrs Yakubu said FAAN would still continue with the planned construction of a multi-storey car park within the GAT terminal, stressing that such would further enhance revenue generation for the agency.

    “As you know, FAAN just completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Plans are on ground, too, for the car park at the GAT. When we commence the construction, everyone would see it,” she said.

    On the evacuation of aircraft at the Lagos Airport, she said the exercise had been completed in Lagos while the team would move to Kano airport for the same exercise and, subsequently, move to Ilorin, Kaduna and others.

    She added that FAAN was also working on the toilets at the international wing of the Lagos Airport.

    “The Wing D toilet fittings have been removed and replaced. Once we are done with Wing D, we shall move to Wing E. We are doing overhaul of the facilities so that we can have new toilets for users,”she said.

  • Minister orders relocation of security chief, deployment in schools

    Minister orders relocation of security chief, deployment in schools

    Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau yesterday directed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) boss Abdullahi Gana to relocate to the Northeast and liaise with the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole and  governors of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states.

    Dambazau said they should also ensure the deployment of their personnel in all schools in the liberated areas.

    The minister’s spokesman, Ehisienmen Osaigbovo, said the directive became necessary to forestall a re-occurrence of attacks on innocent school children.

    He said the government was making efforts at rescuing the Dapchi schoolgirls and other Boko Haram captives, with the commencement of 24 hours air surveillance by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

    The minister also condemned recent clashes that resulted in loss of lives and property in Kajuru Local Government Areas of Kaduna State and urged security operatives to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to justice.

    Also yesterday, Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan urged parents not to withdraw their girls from schools as a result of the abduction.

    Lawan told reporters in Damaturu that parents needed to trust that the government was doing everything to secure all schools for a conducive learning environment.

    Acccording to him, a state like Yobe needed to double its efforts to encourage more of girl-child education both in western and Islamic education.

    “Parents should continue to trust us that we mean business.  That we are always thinking of how to ensure   that there is security for the schools, especially in states like ours where girl-child education needs to be promoted and encouraged.  We  have to do a lot more to secure the  schools,  especially the girls’ schools, so that parents have some comfort and sense of satisfaction that their children are properly protected. They shouldn’t withdraw their children from school or become discouraged and start developing lukewarm attitude towards education. Our girls need to be educated both in Islamic and western education. In fact, it’s a challenge for us to encourage these girls to be in school,” Lawan said.

    Yobe State Commissioner for Education Mohammed Alamin accused the media of sowing fear in the minds of parents with their reports on the Dapchi attack.

    Mohammed Lamin was quoted as saying in an  interview with BBC Hausa Service: “You, the media people, are responsible for this fear. You are scaring the parents with your reports; that is why some of them are even thinking of not sending their children to school again, not even about relocating them to other places.”

    The Senate leader gave a pass mark on the response of the Federal Government so far in trying to rescue the girls, but faulted the security arrangement at Dapchi before the attack.

    ”I want to say that I am satisfied with the attention given at the moment, but I wasn’t  satisfied with the security arrangement before the incident. After the Chibok girls’ abduction where over 200 girls were abducted and we are still struggling  to get some of them back, we should have had a better security arrangement around our schools especially the girls schools.

    “The President responded promptly and gave leadership by asking the military to move in and, of course, by sending a high-powered  delegation to the state.

  • FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has deployed 10 Hilux patrol vehicles to tighten security at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The airside is the area of an airport with direct access to the aircraft. Entry to the place is controlled.

    In an interview in Lagos, FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the deployment was part of measures to enhance efficiency and security at the airport.

    She said: ”The authority will like to assure airport users and the public that we will continue to upgrade our facilities, processes and procedures, in consonance with our core values of security, safety and comfort.”

    In a related development, FAAN has automated the car park at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

    Mrs Yakubu said  within one month of the  exercise, it has recorded 68 per cent increase in revenue.

    She said the exercise had blocked some of the leakages in the system.

    She said with the automation, rowdiness and  traffic gridlock  caused by the manual collection at the park had disappeared.

    Mrs Yakubu  said  FAAN would review the performance of the exercise by the end of this quarter and make adjustments where necessary. He noted that so far, the new system had been in favour of both FAAN and the public.

    FAAN started the automation of the GAT car park on January 8, a development that has eliminated the manual collection of toll which was in place for about two decades.

    She said: “FAAN decided to overhaul the whole system and see how we could make it orderly because we were getting a lot of complaints from our passengers and airport users that they were not getting space to park their vehicles.Then, we were wondering if all the people that parked their vehicles at the car park were airport workers and travellers. Also, we are in an era of technology where people no longer do things manually, but automated. That was what prompted FAAN into doing the automation.

    “And since we started, there has been a lot of sanity at the car park. There is a lot of orderliness, progression. As soon as you go into the airport, you just go into the car park without any issues. In time past, there were lots of queues. Once you get into the airport, if you are not dropping, you are encouraged to go to the car park and do your business there, rather than parking on the road and create traffic jam.”

    Despite the automation of the car park, Mrs Yakubu said FAAN would still continue with the planned construction of a multi-storey car park within the GAT terminal, stressing that such would further enhance revenue generation for the agency.

    “As you know, FAAN just completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Plans are on ground, too, for the car park at the GAT. When we commence the construction, everyone would see it,” she said.

    On the evacuation of aircraft at the Lagos Airport, she said the exercise had been completed in Lagos while the team would move to Kano airport for the same exercise and, subsequently, move to Ilorin, Kaduna and others.

    She added that FAAN was also working on the toilets at the international wing of the Lagos Airport.

    “The Wing D toilet fittings have been removed and replaced. Once we are done with Wing D, we shall move to Wing E. We are doing overhaul of the facilities so that we can have new toilets for users,”she said.

  • Internal security: Navy trains personnel on smalls arms handling, firing

    Internal security: Navy trains personnel on smalls arms handling, firing

    To ensure proficiency in the handling of small arms during internal security operations, the Nigerian Navy (NN) yesterday took over 100 operatives through a refresher firing exercise.

    Organised by the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC)  at  Owode, Nigeria’s border community with Benin Republic, the Small Arms Firing Exercise (SAFEX) saw the personnel shooting weapons such as AK47, FN Riffle and Shooters and Gear (SnG) from 100 and 200 metres radius.

    According to the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) NAVTRAC, Rear Admiral Obi Ofodile, the training was necessary giving that naval operatives rarely handled light weapons.

    By nature of their constituonal roles, Ofodile said naval operatives were used to handling big weaponry, which are mounted on warships.

    Ofodile said the aim was to prepare a formidable military, proficient in weapon handling and marksmanship, especially in the light of internal security challenges.

    He said: “SAFEX is a part of NN schedule of events for 2018. Also, the Chief of  the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas has made it clear that all commands and units must be proficient in the firing of small arms.

    “It is assumed that at the point of entry in the navy, whether as an officer or the other ranks, we were taught to fire.

    “However, given our different deployments, we might not have been given the opportunity to continue to handle such weapons all the time.

    “So, this exercise would improve our proficiency in small weapons handling because by the nature of naval vessels, guns are mounted.

    “The navy basically has big guns onboard our warships like the 127MM and the 40MN that are onboard the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Aradu. But when it comes to internal insecurity, small arms are more useful and so, our men must be up to their game at all times.

    “This is because the navy is very much involved in confronting these security challenges and weapons used are such as the FN rifle, AK47 and the SNG.

    “For you to be proficient and skillful in handling such, the importance of SAFEX comes to bear. Some of us finished our targets within the allotted time. However, even if you are 100 per cent good, you still need to brush up your skills.”

    Senior officers who took part in the exercise included Commander, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base Service Group, Air Commodore Mike Olatunji;  Commander NNS WEY, Commodore Patrick Yekwe andCommander Special Boat Services (SBS), Commodore Ibrahim Shettima.

     

     

     

  • Don’t mix politics with security, says Shettima

    Don’t mix politics with security, says Shettima

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima yesterday recounted the 2014 Boko Haram abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in his state. More than 100 of the girls are yet to be rescued.

    Shettima, who is also the chair of the Northern States Governors Forum, paid a sympathy visit to neighbouring Yobe State where pupils were abducted last week.

    Shettima cautioned against mixing politics with security matters.

    He told his host: ”Your Excellency (Gov. Gaidam), I have been in your shoes since 2014 when schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok. I know exactly how you feel. When our daughters were abducted in Chibok; only God understood how I felt and I can imagine how you also feel, and the trauma you are going through. The parents of these girls would always look up to you with hope in the midst of agony. I know you are pained but I also believe that Insha Allah, these girls will be rescued very soon.

    “It is unfortunate that we have faced yet another abduction but that only reminds us about the difficulties of fighting insurgency. Oftentimes, they strike where you least expect. Before Boko Haram attacked Chibok, that Chibok had the least threat of Boko Haram in the Northeast. No one expected them to even think about Chibok because it is a mostly Christian community where Boko Haram was hardly an issue.

    “In the same vein, I don’t think anyone ever expected an attack in Dapchi. This incident, however, reminds all of us not only in Borno and Yobe but perhaps across the northern Nigeria to be on guard. I think the difference between the Chibok incident and this one, is that the Federal Government didn’t react in denial, doubt or formed a conspiracy theory. The Federal Government assumed responsibility which we hope will lead to rescue of the schoolgirls. When schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok, some people said there was no abduction because Borno was in the opposition. Those who admitted there was abduction, came up with a conspiracy theory that the APC leaders perpetuated it in order to win the 2015 elections. Now, this abduction took place in an APC controlled state under an APC led Federal Government. What this reminds us, in very painful way, I should add, is that as political actors, we should learn to separate politics from issues of security. Human lives are very precious in the sight of Allah” Shettima said.

     

  • Peace, security behind my success, says Ugwuanyi

    Peace, security behind my success, says Ugwuanyi

    •Gburugburu Movement inaugurated

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has attributed the development strides recorded by his administration to the peace and security in the state.

    Ugwuanyi spoke at a reception in his honour by the people of Nsukka Local Government Area. The “Gburugburu Movement” was also inaugurated at the event.

    The governor urged members of Gburugburu Movement to reconcile various warring groups and individuals in their different areas, saying: “This government is for peace”.

    The governor, who stressed that Enugu is known for peace, added that it was because of this that the state is adjudged one of the safest in the country.

    He also appealed to the people to continue to pray for his administration, noting that their prayers helped to resolve the salary crisis even when some other states could not pay.

    He said: “I will continue to lead and render selfless service to you and the people with the fear of God.”

    Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area Patrick Omeje said the people are “eternally grateful” to Ugwuanyi for the good works his administration has done, especially in Nsukka, in less than two and half years.

    “These good works, visible to even the blind and audible to the deaf, have gone a long way in transforming Nsukka to a mini mega city in line with your promise when you assumed office,” he said.

    The Director-General of Gburugburu Movement, Senator Fidelis Okoro, explained that it is a support group of the governor launched to consolidate his firm footing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of 2019.

    Sen. Okoro urged the people of the council area to join the movement, noting that it is open for everybody and targeted at every nook and cranny of the state.

    He also stressed the importance of voters’ card, urging the people to go and register to be able to transfer their support and love for the governor into reality for him to continue with his good works in the state.

    Other speakers such as Senator Chukwuka Utazi; Rt. Hon. Pat Asadu; Amb. Justina Eze; Commissioner for Housing, Barr. Peter Okonkwo, etc, appreciated the peace and good governance in the state and commended the governor for his uncommon leadership style and commitment to the wellbeing of the people of the state.

     

  • Amaechi: powerful people sabotaging maritime security

    Amaechi: powerful people sabotaging maritime security

    The Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi yesterday said the maritime security contract approved by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is being frustrated by some powerful Nigerians.

    The contract, Amaechi said, was awarded by the government about two years ago to secure the nation’s maritime domain.

    Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Nigerian Maritime Administrator and Safety Agency ( NIMASA), in Warri, Delta State, Amaechi threatened to give the names of those that are sabotaging the efforts of the government  if the issue becomes messy and could not be resolved on time.

    The theme of the event is ‘ Implementation of Executive Order 1 on Ease of Doing Business in a Secure Maritime Environment.’

    Amaechi identified high level of insecurity and criminalities going on in the  Delta region as one of the major reason  to protect the waters.

    He said the eastern ports are not attractive to business because of the ‘war’ insurance rate imposed by the international shipping companies on any vessel calling at the ports in the area.

    “The war insurance means if the goods cost $10,000 in Lagos I will $20,000 here because there is extra cost on it. There are people in the system sabotaging the $195million contract that will restore sanity and security on our waterways,”he said.

  • FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    FAAN tightens security at Lagos airport airside

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has deployed 10 Hilux patrol vehicles to tighten security at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The airside is the area of an airport with direct access to the aircraft. Entry to the place is controlled.

    In an interview in Lagos, FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the deployment was part of measures to enhance efficiency and security at the airport.

    She said: ”The authority will like to assure airport users and the public that we will continue to upgrade our facilities, processes and procedures, in consonance with our core values of security, safety and comfort.”

    In a related development, FAAN has automated the car park at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

    Mrs Yakubu said  within one month of the  exercise, it has recorded 68 per cent increase in revenue.

    She said the exercise had blocked some of the leakages in the system.

    She said with the automation, rowdiness and  traffic gridlock  caused by the manual collection at the park had disappeared.

    Mrs Yakubu  said  FAAN would review the performance of the exercise by the end of this quarter and make adjustments where necessary. He noted that so far, the new system had been in favour of both FAAN and the public.

    FAAN started the automation of the GAT car park on January 8, a development that has eliminated the manual collection of toll which was in place for about two decades.

    She said: “FAAN decided to overhaul the whole system and see how we could make it orderly because we were getting a lot of complaints from our passengers and airport users that they were not getting space to park their vehicles.Then, we were wondering if all the people that parked their vehicles at the car park were airport workers and travellers. Also, we are in an era of technology where people no longer do things manually, but automated. That was what prompted FAAN into doing the automation.

    “And since we started, there has been a lot of sanity at the car park. There is a lot of orderliness, progression. As soon as you go into the airport, you just go into the car park without any issues. In time past, there were lots of queues. Once you get into the airport, if you are not dropping, you are encouraged to go to the car park and do your business there, rather than parking on the road and create traffic jam.”

    Despite the automation of the car park, Mrs Yakubu said FAAN would still continue with the planned construction of a multi-storey car park within the GAT terminal, stressing that such would further enhance revenue generation for the agency.

    “As you know, FAAN just completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Plans are on ground, too, for the car park at the GAT. When we commence the construction, everyone would see it,” she said.

    On the evacuation of aircraft at the Lagos Airport, she said the exercise had been completed in Lagos while the team would move to Kano airport for the same exercise and, subsequently, move to Ilorin, Kaduna and others.

    She added that FAAN was also working on the toilets at the international wing of the Lagos Airport.

    “The Wing D toilet fittings have been removed and replaced. Once we are done with Wing D, we shall move to Wing E. We are doing overhaul of the facilities so that we can have new toilets for users,”she said.

  • ‘We take security seriously in Plateau’

    ‘We take security seriously in Plateau’

    In this interview with Emmanuel Oladesu in Lagos, Mark Longyen, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, says contrary to speculations that the state had endorsed the proposed cattle colony of the Federal Government, it only opted for the ranching of livestock, among other issues: Excerpts: 

    Governor Lalong’s recent comments on the grazing law while at the Presidential Villa in Abuja did not seem to go down well with Benue’s Governor Ortom…

    Yes, it is because it was misconstrued. His advice to Governor Ortom was benevolent but the timing of talking to the media about the advice he earlier gave to his brother-governor, on a day of mourning and burial of about 73 persons Killed in Benue, was what sentimentally caused infuriation and exacerbated the issue. That’s why in a rare show of courage, humility and exemplary statesmanship, he immediately apologized to the Benue State Governor thereafter.

    The governor also sent a high powered delegation of Plateau elders to condole the governor and people of Benue State and followed suit with a condolence visit alongside some other governors. Governor Ortom accepted the apology and in turn apologized to Nasarawa’s Governor Almakura for the comment he (Ortom) too had earlier made against Almakura that was out of sync.

    Plateau State is said to have endorsed the Federal Government’s controversial Cattle Colony. What informed that decision?

    That is absolutely untrue. Plateau State never endorsed the Cattle Colony policy as was speculated. What the state has keyed into is Livestock Ranching. The Ranching Policy itself was actually initiated by the Goodluck Jonathan administration and inherited by the Buhari administration to which some states simply keyed into.

    What happened was that, upon assumption of office, Governor Lalong, like many others, simply inherited the Ranching Policy that was in abeyance awaiting implementation. What the Governor first did was that in 2016 he set up a 14-man Committee chaired by a professor of Agriculture, Ochapa Onazi, a one-time Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, to do some feasibility studies on the desirability and the benefits or otherwise of Ranching to the people.

    The committee visited the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Abuja to discuss with officials and to understudy the nitty-gritty of the Policy.

    The Committee came back to the state and held a series of consultative stakeholders’ meetings with all stakeholders cutting across the state, following which the people of Plateau State opted for and adopted Ranching. Ranching is actually the modern way of livestock farming, which is not restricted to cattle alone but involves all kinds of livestock like sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and any kind of animal husbandry that you can think of.

    It is the type of animal farming that is done in the developed world, which comes with lots of attendant socio-economic benefits. People simply acquire some piece of land in varying sizes and rear the animals of their choice. Government may also acquire a large parcel of land and develop a Ranch complete with all the necessary social amenities like water, electricity, animal clinics , roads , and grow alongside it special species of grasses, etc and rent out the Ranch to its citizens who are interested in Livestock Ranching. In that way the animals are well fed, producer higher beef and milk yield and are prevented from roaming about and straying into people’s crops and causing crises here and there.

    With the diversification of the Plateau State economy to Agriculture as the mainstay of the state’s economic future, the socioeconomic benefits of ranching in terms of employment and economic empowerment cannot be overemphasised. Right now, government is assiduously working towards coming up with a policy and legal framework for the full implementation of Ranching for the benefit of people who are interested in going into livestock farming.

    What then is a Cattle Colony or a Grazing Reserve all about?

    As I said earlier, a ranch can be owned by an individual or a group of individuals like a cooperative society, a company or government, which may rent it out to interested persons the way government builds lockup shops and rents them out to people. A Ranch can comprise as few as 200 to 300 cows, sheep, goats, pigs, etc.

    Cattle Colony, on the other hand, is strictly for cattle, as the name implies, and is much bigger in terms of concept, size and number of cows reared within the same geographical confine. So you can see that a Colony is, by and large, a settlement or a very large expanse of land designated for cattle rearers only. According to the Minister of Agriculture, 20 to 40 cattle rearers can share the same colony. In a cattle colony, you could find 30,000 cows owned by different owners coexisting. Plateau State never keyed into that.

    A Grazing Reserve, as the name implies, refers to a very large expanse of land reserved for cattle grazing with designated grazing routes. Herdsmen take their cattle to the Grazing Reserves for grazing  seasonally, instead of roaming about and trespassing on farmers’ lands and destroying crops causing bloody intermittent clashes in the process.

    For instance, Governor Lalong inherited a Grazing Reserve Gazette signed by his predecessor, Senator Jonah Jang, in April 2009, in which humongous funds were allocated in favour of Grazing Reserves. He jettisoned it and opted for Ranching based on the popular wish of the people following a wide range of consultative stakeholders meetings.

    I believe that with this explanation, you will agree with me that the report linking Plateau State with Cattle Colony is absolutely false and mischievous. The opposition in the state had tried to make political capital of the falsehood by going to town and circulating the fake story in the social media that the governor had already started the forceful seizure of people’s ancestral lands and giving them out to Fulani herdsmen for their Cattle Colonies. As far as the Lalong Government is concerned, it has keyed into ranching, which is right now at its embryonic stage.

    But Benue and Taraba State Governors don’t seem to share your principal’s thoughts on this ranching thing?

    Again, that is not true. The two states have keyed into Ranching like us. They have only enacted the Law prohibiting open grazing in their respective states, while we have yet to do same. The position of Governor Lalong is that he will create the enabling Law to prohibit open grazing only after putting in place measures that will provide succor or some kind of alternative for herders in order to cushion the negative effect of the decision on the people so as to stem crisis. As far as he is concerned, passing the open grazing prohibition Law first before putting in place a policy framework that would stave off its negative repercussions is like putting the cart before the horse and is a recipe for crisis as witnessed in the two neighboring states. So we are more or less on the same page except for the difference in the order of doing the same thing.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Buhari inaugurates locally made drone, restates commitment to security

    Buhari inaugurates locally made drone, restates commitment to security

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Kaduna inaugurated a new drone developed by the Nigeria Air Force ( NAF ) for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance.

    The Unmarked Areal Vehicle, named Tsaigumi, was to boost the capacity of the military.

    “From the military perspective, the added capacity for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance provided by the TSAIGUMI will boost ongoing and future security operations.

    “As this project moves into the next stage, which is mass production, it would create employment and possibly generate revenue as Nigeria’s first military export product,’’ the President said.

    According to him, the technological feat is an indication that there is potential to apply the same innovative mindset to addressing other areas of indigenous technological needs.

    “While I commend the Nigerian Air Force for this accomplishment, I enjoin you not to rest on this achievement but to strive harder in your research and development efforts for greater innovation.

    “Be assured of this administration’s support towards the attainment of greater technological milestones for our nation.’’

    Buhari reiterated the commitment and firm resolve of his administration to take Nigeria to the next level of growth and development.

    “We remain determined to overcome all challenges to our security and development as a nation. I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with us to make our collective dreams of greatness a reality.’’

    He added: “Government remains determined, despite numerous challenges to bring about the much-needed CHANGE that will lift our beloved nation to its rightful place as a major economic and political force on the world stage.

    “Part of our drive to achieve this goal is to enable enterprise and the improvement of the quality of life through massive improvement of national infrastructure.

    “Accordingly, as I outlined in my New Year Day broadcast to the nation, this Administration has designed series of key projects to dramatically overhaul national infrastructure and overcome the deficit in that vital area.

    “The role of the military as an enabler of national development cannot be overemphasized, as efforts would be futile if national security is not first guaranteed.

    “In this regard, let me once more commend the gallant men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies, for their tireless efforts towards defeating Boko Haram and all other threats to our nation’s security, thus ensuring that the government can proceed with its developmental activity without hindrance.

    “Let me again commend the Nigerian Air Force leadership for the unprecedented feat it has attained on Research and Development.

    “I am aware that the Air Force was the overall best in the recently concluded 2017 National Technology and Innovation Exposition under Research Institute category.

    “Accordingly, its drive, determination and unwavering support brought about numerous significant innovations, not least of which is the TSAIGUMI which I am inducting today.

    “It is indeed most gratifying that the Nigerian Air Force has gone a step further than simply acquiring them, to developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle capabilities with indigenous technology.

    “This outstanding accomplishment, which we are gathered today, holds promise of both military and economic benefit to the nation.’’

    Earlier, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, said the unmanned vehicle has a “mission range of 100 km, a service ceiling at 15,000 feet and operational endurance of about 10 hours.’’

    He pledged NAF support “to harness, promote, commercialise and diffuse locally developed technologies for the production of globally competitive goods and services that intensively utilise Nigeria’s raw materials for national development.

    “ This is necessary because it is through R&D that nations technologically advance and enhance their productivity, spur economic growth and address societal concerns such as health, energy, environment, defence and security.

    “Besides, to be effective and efficient in dealing with contemporary security challenges posed by non-state actors, there is the need to build capacity to develop smarter and highly sophisticated indigenous platforms as well as compact and mobile forces that use information technology to get real time intelligence necessary for military operations.”

    Sadiq added that the NAF Research and Development Centre established in 2015, “has so far successfully repaired the CH-3A Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) that had been grounded for over four months due to the lack of spares.

    “Since its reactivation on 2nd January 2018, the UCAV has conducted several missions which have positively impacted on our Operations in the North East. As I speak, the UCAV is engaged in combat missions in the North East.

    “Only last week it acquired and destroyed Boko Haram Terrorists and their equipment in the Sambisa general area.

    “We have also tasked the centre to address gaps in specific areas of operational needs of the Service.

    “One such area of need has been that of enhancing NAF’s Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to meet national security imperatives.

    “In this regard, AFRDC has been charged to build capacity to maintain all ISR platforms that are currently in the Service.

    “Similarly, the AFRDC was tasked to operationalise the Gulma UAV prototype taking into cognisance the peculiar challenges associated with our operating environment.

    “It is gratifying to state that the efforts in this direction have, yielded positive results which include among others, the production of the TSEGUMI UAV.’’

    NAN