By Lawrence Audu
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has winged 12 freshly trained combat pilots to reinforce its counter-terrorism efforts.
The pilots of Basic Flying Course-20 received their wings at Kano’s 403 Flying Training School (FTS).
According to a statement issued by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, decorated the combat pilots, charging them to justify the efforts and resources invested in their training.
Abubakar had told the officers to contribute their best in sustaining “the successes recorded in the various theatres of operation” within the country.
The CAS noted further that the Air Force has continued to conduct operations aimed at not only decimating criminals and denying them freedom of action, as well as shaping the operational environment in the various theatres.
The successes, he said, can be sustained with “the injection of new and vibrant pilots to add energy and bite to the operations”.
He added that the winging ceremony was significant, coming at a time the NAF had benefitted from the Federal Government’s determination to provide necessary equipment in the fight against terrorism, insurgency and other forms of criminality.
According to him, the graduation of the Basic Flying Course 20 serves to bridge the pilot deficiency gap in the Force.
Earlier, the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command, Air Vice Marshal Nnamdi Ananaba, disclosed that the graduation ceremony represented the final phase of a series of training activities aimed at producing fully qualified pilots for the NAF.
He stated that the purpose of the flying course is to develop pilots who are well-versed in operating the new and highly sophisticated platforms being introduced into the Nigerian Air Force.
