The Chief of the Air Staff, (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar has said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is strategically prepared to deliver all necessary logistic support for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable it achieve success during the 2019 general elections.
The Air Chief disclosed that the Nigerian Air Force has put adequate arrangements in place as was done in 2015 to facilitate transportation of INEC sensitive materials to some designated locations across the country.
Air Marshal Abubakar however warned officers and airmen of the NAF to steer clear of partisan politics as 2018 approaches saying they should remain focused on their constitutional responsibilities.
Speaking while addressing Field Commanders and other Senior Officers during the 2nd Quarter Conference of the CAS at the NAF Headquarters, he said “as politics is in the air, officers and men should not be distracted either by political activities or social media comments.
He noted that the aim of the conference is to review the progress attained in the NAF since the last Conference, adding that the meeting would afford the opportunity for the officers to critically appraise the performance of the Service in the past few months.
His words, “This Conference equally provides an avenue to listen and get feedback from various field commanders while also keeping them abreast of the policy direction of the Headquarters NAF.
“I have held a similar Conference with the Air Warrant Officers and very Senior Non-Commissioned Officers of the NAF the previous day and the aim of the meeting is largely being to get a feedback from the personnel, as part of the bottom to top approach of the current leadership.
“Let me remind the senior officers that the 2019 general elections were fast approaching and therefore caution that you should not allow yourselves to be dragged into partisan politics.
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“Even though you have the right to vote, exercise this right and do not be distracted from your constitutional duty of ensuring the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity and remain focused on any duty constitutionally assigned to you by the NAF.”
Air Marshal Abubakar assured that the NAF would continue to operate in line with its constitutional mandate, promising that officers and men of the service would work towards ensuring that the sovereignty of Nigeria is not undermined by any group of individuals.
The CAS said further: “Let me at this juncture assure that the Nigerian Air Force is willing to avail INEC its transport aircraft for the expeditious distribution of electoral materials during the forthcoming 2019 general elections as it had done in the past, should INEC require such services”.
Air Marshal Abubakar advised the senior officers to take advantage of the lectures to be delivered at the conference by resource persons, noting that the conference was meant to fine tune their skills and update their knowledge on modern warfare.
The Conference equally provided an avenue to listen and get feedback from various field commanders while also keeping them abreast of the policy direction of the Headquarters NAF.
The CAS disclosed that he held a similar Conference with the Air Warrant Officers and very Senior Non-Commissioned Officers of the NAF the previous day, the aim largely being to get a feedback from the personnel, as part of the bottom to top approach of the current NAF leadership.
He assured that the NAF would continue to operate in line with its constitutional mandate. The NAF would also continue to work towards ensuring that the sovereignty of Nigeria is not undermined by any group of individuals.
He then advised the senior officers to take advantage of the resource persons, mostly retired senior NAF officers, who had been invited to deliver a lecture ahead of the Conference itself. He expressed the belief that the NAF stood to benefit if the senior officers made good use of the knowledge that would be brought to bear by the resource persons.
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