Pulse.ng : NAF trains 628 personnel on platforms, equipments maintenance

By Mohammed Tijjani

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), has graduated 628 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel, trained to man and maintain NAF platforms and equipments.

The News Agency of Nigerian (NAN) reports that the 628 personnel were trained in the field of engineering, armament maintenance, works, electrical and electronics, radar and information technology.

Others were trained in Avionics Option, Airframe and manpower, and power plant maintenance, among others.

Among those who completed the training were Air Force personnel from Ghana and Tanzania.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, restated his commitment to transform the Nigeria Air Force into an agile and resilient force to meet the air power demands of the country.

Represented by AVM Nnamdi Ananaba, Air Officers Air Training Command, Abubakar said AFIT has been positioned to provide deliberate training and mission-oriented force required by the NAF.

He said that the sundry military training programmes were meant to enhances the quality of skilled technical manpower of NAF.

“This has largely contributed to the NAF’s current status of being more self-reliant for our platforms and equipment maintenance.

“In addition to the prestige and confidence gained from such self-reliance, we have also built internal capacity for certain levels of training.

“We have eliminated the cost of foreign training for our personnel in those areas in which we possess internal capacities, thus conserving scarce foreign exchange for the NAF and the country as a whole,” he added.

The CAS said that the institute’s recent curricula review has increased its focus on practical aspects instead of the predominantly theoretical training hitherto being provided.

He expressed confidence that “the set we are graduating today, are adequately skilled and technically capable of maintaining NAF platforms and equipment in the field”.

The CAS pledged to address the problems of the institute within available resources.

“I commend the Commandant and his team for the good work and urge them to keep it up,” he added.

The CAS however urged the institute to constantly improve its standards to ensure that its graduates are up-to-date with cutting edge technology and global best practices in aircraft and equipment maintenance.

To the graduating students, the air chief tasked them to apply professional competence in guaranteeing optimum aircraft serviceability and availability to meet national security imperatives.

“This is more so at a time like this when we need to operate optimally in order to effectively address the current spate of insecurity across our dear country.”

“The era of treating criminal elements in the country with kids gloves is over.

“We must continue on this trajectory until we bring all of them to their knees,” the CAS stressed.

Abubakar appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria, which has led to more operational successes.

Earlier, the Commandant of AFIT, AVM Sani Rabe said since assuming office as the 13th Commandant of the institute, he has set up modalities for optimal productivity and providing technical and logistics training needs of NAF.

According to him, the institute has not lost focus on its primary role of producing quality technical manpower for the NAF.

He pledged that despite the ongoing operations in the country, which have imposed constraints on the availability of manpower for AFIT military programmes, it will continued to run its programmes with high level of success. (NAN)