In a significant development, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has bolstered its technical manpower with the graduation of 628 personnel from the 2022/2023 Sundry Technical Military Programmes offered by the esteemed Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).
During the graduation ceremony on September 9, 2023, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, Chief of the Air Staff (represented by Air Vice Marshal Nnamdi Ananaba, Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command), highlighted the crucial role of AFIT’s technical programs in enhancing the NAF’s skilled technical workforce. This, he noted, has contributed significantly to the NAF’s self-reliance in maintaining its platforms and equipment, reducing the need for costly foreign training and conserving foreign exchange.
Air Marshal Abubakar emphasized the alignment of this graduation ceremony with his vision of transforming the NAF into a versatile and resilient force capable of meeting national security needs effectively. He commended AFIT, the NAF’s primary training institution, for facilitating “deliberate training and mission-oriented force development.”
Addressing the graduands, the CAS stressed the importance of continuously enhancing their professional competencies, particularly in ensuring optimal aircraft serviceability and availability amid the country’s current security challenges. He reaffirmed the commitment to addressing insecurity decisively and expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support, which has contributed to the NAF’s operational successes.
The Commandant of AFIT, Air Vice Marshal Sani Rabe, highlighted the diverse composition of the 628 graduates, including 37 officers who completed the Initial Officers’ Course and 591 airmen/airwomen who finished various Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Upgrading courses. Notably, AFIT also trains personnel from sister African countries, as evidenced by the participation of officers from the Ghana Air Force and airmen from the Tanzanian Air Force.
The Commandant further emphasized AFIT’s history of serving the NAF’s technical and logistics training needs since its establishment in 1977. He pointed out that AFIT had received presidential assent to the AFIT Act in 2017 and accreditation by the National Universities Commission, making it a full-fledged degree-awarding institution open to students from across Nigeria and abroad.
The graduation ceremony was attended by senior military officials, government dignitaries, and traditional leaders, both from within and outside Kaduna.
