In its effort to ensure adequate welfare of personnel involved in Internal Security operations across the country, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commissioned additional 18 x 2 Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) and 18 x one Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) residential quarters at the 351 NAF Base Minna, Niger State.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, represented by the Chief of Administration, Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Yahaya, stated that the provision of good quality living accommodation for both married and single personnel of the NAF would continue to be one of the top priorities of the current NAF leadership. According to Air Marshal Abubakar, this is in consonance with global best practices in more advanced armed forces, adding that the provision of suitable accommodation is essential to ensuring the welfare of its personnel. This, he said, promotes, inculcates and reinforces discipline, training, a sense of honour, responsibility and esprit de corps among personnel.
While charging the beneficiaries of the newly constructed accommodation to ensure adequate maintenance of the facilities, the CAS also urged the personnel to rededicate themselves to duties to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. “This is more so that you are now required to be more actively involved in the provision of the much needed security within the State as well as participate in various Internal Security operations such as Operation SHARANDAJI, Operation ZUMA and the just concluded KARAMIN GORO in addition to Special Joint Internal Security patrols, among others”, he said.
It is noteworthy that the NAF has commenced the process of setting up Quick Response Wings in Benue, Nassarawa and Taraba States while a Forward Operating Base was recently operationalized in Monguno, in line with its commitment to further fulfil its statutory responsibility of providing security for citizens. It would be recalled that the NAF, in the past 3 years, has embarked on the construction of several buildings and upgrade of infrastructural facilities in its bases all over Nigeria. This is in view of its increasing personnel strength to cope with recent expansions to bring security closer to the people.
