By Christel Odili
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has provided additional amenities on it Abuja and Ilorin Bases to cater for the need of her personnel
who operate and maintain the various platforms employed for medium airlift in support of ongoing operations in different parts of the country.
According to a statement released by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, the facilities were provided to further cater for the welfare needs of NAF personnel who operate and maintain the various platforms employed for medium airlift in support of ongoing operations in different parts of the country. He said that it was also part of a deliberate effort aimed at bringing the personnel of the Unit, who were residing in different locations within the city, together for enhanced operational efficiency and optimized service delivery for the benefit of the nation.
While speaking during the commissioning ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Chief of Administration (COA) at Headquarters NAF, Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Yahaya, reiterated that the NAF leadership would not relent in its efforts at ensuring better living conditions for personnel and their families.
Air Marshal Abubakar also said that the critical role being played by 303 MAG towards ensuring national peace and security cannot be overemphasised, as timely logistics resupply is central to the success of military operations.
The CAS disclosed that the NAF had recently posted more personnel to the Unit to enable it contribute more to Internal Security operations in Kwara State and its environs. He therefore appealed to Kwara State citizens to continually give the NAF the needed cooperation to succeed in safeguarding the nation.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji (Dr) Abdulfatah Ahmed, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Manjo, acknowledged that the presence of NAF in Ilorin had given a boost to the security of Kwara State. He therefore gave the assurance that the State Government would not relent in providing the NAF and other security agencies in the State with adequate support to aid the discharge of their duties.
Governor Abdulfatah also expressed delight at the rate of infrastructural development at the NAF Base in Ilorin, noting that the visionary leadership being demonstrated by the CAS, Air Marshal Abubakar, was indeed worthy of emulation.
In his welcome address, the Commander 303 MAG, Group Captain Patrick Obeya, expressed profound appreciation to the NAF leadership for the provision of the new infrastructure and facilities in the Unit, noting that the gesture would go a long way to boost the morale of the personnel and spur them to strive harder in the discharge of their duties.
In a related development, a Joint Airmen/Airwomen’s Mess was also commissioned for Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) serving in Abuja in a bid to boost comradeship and regimentation among personnel. While speaking during the commissioning, the COA who represented the CAS at the occasion, urged the NCOs to make optimal use of the facility and also maintain it in line with the standards for which the NAF is renowned.
It is worthy of note that in the past 3 years, the NAF has tried to address the gaps in accommodation in all NAF units.
The new facilities includes, a Joint Airmen/Airwomen’s Mess and a 6 x one bedroom residential accommodation for airmen/airwomen serving at 303 Medium Airlift Group (MAG), NAF Base Ilorin, Kwara State were commissioned on 20 March 2018 by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar. Other facilities commissioned during the ceremony include a 500 KVA transformer as well as 2 boreholes, each with 300,000 and 55,000 litres surface tanks, in addition to overhead tanks.