The Nigerian Air Force Air War College (NAFAWC) has graduated it’s second set of participants of Air War Course on 8 December 2017 during a ceremony held on the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Makurdi, Benue State. The Air War Course 2/2017 consisted of 19 senior military officers out of whom 16 were from the NAF, one from the Nigerian Army (NA) and 2 from the Nigerian Navy (NN).
The Course, which was inaugurated on 16 June 2017, groomed the participants in airpower education and its application while preparing them to lead in the strategic environment with emphasis on the employment of airpower in both joint and independent operations.
During the ceremony, the Chief of the Air staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Chief of Training and Operations, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Nurudeen Balogun, congratulated the participants on the successful completion of the Course. Speaking further, he urged them to bring to bear, the skills and lessons acquired during the Course with utmost sense of patriotism.
The CAS disclosed that the NAF had improved, expanded and upgraded the facilities in the College to the standards obtainable in similar air war colleges worldwide to aid teaching and learning. Accordingly, “the NAF will continue to do its best within the limits of available resources to provide the needed support for realistic and result oriented training”, he said.
While enumerating the numerous achievements under his administration, the CAS stated that the NAF would continue to place premium on capacity building as well as effective and efficient service delivery.
He expressed his belief that the purpose for which the College was established would begin to have the desired level of impact on the Service in the very near future.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commandant of the College, AVM James Baba said that the graduation of the second set of participants was an attestation to the rationale behind the establishment of the College.
The Commandant added that the feedback being received by the College on the performance of its pioneer graduands was pleasing, as they were in line with the College’s set objectives. The highlight of the graduation ceremony was the conferment of the “Fellow of Air War College” on the participants by the Commandant.
The participants that distinguished themselves during the Course were also given special awards, in order of merit. In that wise, Group Captain Ehimen Ejodame bagged the Best All Round Award while Group Captain Nasiru Saidu won the CAS Award with Group Captain Emeng Imoke carting away the Commandant’s Award.
The attendance of Air War Course 2 by participants from the NA and the NN was in keeping with the tradition from when the NAFAWC was established towards deepening the collaboration between the 3 arms of Services in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, arrangements are already in top gear towards nominating participants for Air War Course 3, scheduled to commence shortly.
