President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan pledged Tuesday in Abuja that his Administration will continue to ensure that Nigeria’s Armed Forces are adequately equipped to carry out their internal security duties and the protection of the territorial integrity of the country.
Speaking at the decoration of serving and retired senior Air Force officers with the Distinguished Flying Star, President Jonathan said that the Federal Government will continue to make substantial investment in equipping the Armed Forces sufficiently because “no nation can rightly boast of greatness in the absence of a vibrant Armed Forces”.
The President said that since the great task of nation building could only be accomplished if the safety and territorial integrity of the country is assured, there could be no doubt that building and maintaining a virile and motivated Air Force is essential to ensuring Nigeria’s security and national development.
“It is for this reason that the Federal Government has continued to make substantial investment in the provision of new platforms and the reactivation of older ones. This is in addition to our commitment to ensure better training and improved welfare packages for the brave men and women of our noble Armed Forces,” he said.
President Jonathan commended the Nigerian Air Force and the Armed Forces as a whole for their immense contributions to the maintenance of national security and the defense of democracy in Nigeria.
“I must also note with pride your contributions towards ensuring stability across our great continent and beyond,” he said.
He congratulated the five recipients of the Distinguished Flying Star – Air Chief Marshall Paul Dike (rtd.), Air Marshall Isaac Alfa (rtd.), Air Vice Marshall Femi John Femi (rtd.), the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Mohammed Dikko Umar and the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Oluseyi Petinrin – noting that the award was in recognition of their contributions to the advancement of the Air Force and the security of Nigeria.