Northern Pulse: Air Chief charge catering graduates to uphold food safety, resource management

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has charged newly graduated catering personnel to uphold high standards of food safety, hygiene, professionalism and prudent resource management in their various units.

Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), gave the charge on Friday at the combined graduation ceremony of the Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Catering Courses of the Nigerian Air Force College of Logistics (NAFCOOL) in Kaduna.

Aneke, represented by the Chief of Logistics, Air Vice Marshal Henry Yurkusi, said catering and hospitality remained essential components of military logistics and directly contributed to personnel welfare, morale and operational readiness.

He said the provision of nutritious, hygienically prepared and properly presented meals was critical to sustaining the fighting spirit and effectiveness of military personnel.

“You cannot tell hungry troops to go to war,” he said, stressing the importance of competent catering personnel to military operations.

The CAS urged the college to sustain its training standards and continuously adapt its curriculum to emerging trends, technologies and best practices in the catering and hospitality industry.

He congratulated the graduands and charged them to translate the knowledge and practical skills acquired during the training into improved performance in their respective units.

Aneke also urged them to demonstrate discipline, creativity, teamwork, accountability and responsibility, while ensuring proper protection and utilisation of equipment, facilities, food stocks and other resources entrusted to them.

He reminded the graduands that military catering went beyond preparing and serving meals, as it also involved food safety, quality control, hygiene, resource management and prevention of wastage.

The CAS congratulated personnel who received awards for outstanding character, academic performance, practical competence and conduct, describing the recognition as an encouragement to attain greater professional standards.

He also commended the Commandant, instructors and staff of the School of Catering Services for their dedication to producing competent and professionally minded catering personnel.

Earlier, the Commandant of NAFCOOL, AVM Ma Felix Uwakara, said the graduation marked another milestone in the college’s efforts to develop professional logistics personnel for the Nigerian Air Force.

Uwakara said the courses progressively developed the technical, supervisory and managerial competencies required for effective military catering.

He said the training covered food preparation and service, food safety and hygiene, resource management, hospitality practices and other relevant areas of logistics.

The commandant said the college was committed to strengthening its curriculum, instructional methods and practical training to meet the evolving requirements of the NAF.

He disclosed that the headquarters of the college had been moved to Enugu and operationalised, while efforts were ongoing to relocate the four other schools of the college to join the headquarters.

Uwakara expressed appreciation to the CAS for supporting professional logistics training, human-capacity development and institutional strengthening in the NAF.

He also commended the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air Training Command and other NAF formations in Kaduna for providing the enabling environment for the training.

The commandant congratulated the graduands and urged them to demonstrate professionalism, innovation and accountability in their various units.

The graduation ceremony featured personnel from the Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Catering Courses, with the course structure designed to progressively enhance their professional competencies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that ceremony was attended by senior NAF officers, commanders, instructors, families and friends.