Pulse.ng : We won’t falter in protecting key national assets

By Mohammed Tijjani

The Chief of Air Staff(CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar says the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will continue to take vital steps towards protecting key national assets against criminal elements.

Abubakar stated this at the matriculation and combined graduation of set 2 students of the Nigerian Air Force College of Nursing Science and Critical Assets Protection Squad Course 5, of Regiment Training Centre on Friday in Kaduna.

Abubakar said, “As a fighting force, we shall continue to take vital steps towards protecting our key assets across the country.

”This is not just from agitating demonstrators, but also from terrorists, insurgents, economic saboteurs and other criminal elements in our society.

”We have plans toward improving the efficient and manpower capacity of all personnel of the Nigerian Air Force(NAF).”

He stressed that human beings were the most important in every system.

Abubakar said, “You can have expensive and sophisticated equipment and facilities, if the humans managing the system are not adequately trained and properly motivated, then that system will definitely fail and vice versa.’

He, therefore, said that part of his key enablers command philosophy was deliberate training and mission-oriented force development.

Abubakar said, “This is why we are glad today to have been able to graduate the trainees from the critical assets protection course and the basic nursing course.”

He stressed that the two courses were particularly very important considering the contemporary happenings.

The CAS explained that the critical assets protection course was critical to NAF, citing the recent protests.

He said, ”They turned violent, accompanied by destruction of government facilities, attacks on some government critical national assets and looting in some states.”

Abubakar, therefore, said the graduates of the critical assets protection course were properly trained and educated to be able to handle such situations.

According to him, the more personnel are trained on the course, the more the NAF would be able to protect the nation’s critical national assets from external aggressors and internal saboteurs, criminals, insurgents, terrorists and their likes.

The CAS also said that considering the exodus of medical practitioners from Nigeria, the basic nursing course would bridge the gap.

Abubakar said, “The more we are able to train doctors and nurses, the faster we close the gaps and make sure we have a very effective and efficient health care system not only for the NAF, but for the whole country at large.

“To the graduates, you must have it at the back of your minds that your profession is a noble calling, requiring compassion, dedication and expertise.”

He reminded the graduates that they were distinct from other healthcare providers.

”You have a wide scope of practice and approach to medical care, just as you play an integral role in promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for all individuals.

”They include those who are disabled or are physically or mentally ill.

“In NAF, you will be the backbone of our medical services, providing critical care to our personnel, their families as well as vulnerable civilians in need of medical attention.

“We have quite a number of civilian students, some of whom we also trained free of charge as part of our corporate social responsibility,”Abubakar said.

He appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support to NAF.

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that awards were given to the graduates who distinguished themselves in the course of study.(NAN)