Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has charged the Nigerian Air Force to take advantage of collaborations with the academia, think-tanks and further earn the confidence of the nation and the respect of the international community in its operations.
Osinbajo who was the Special Guest of Honour at the Ceremonial Parade and Induction Ceremony organised as part of activities marking the 59th Anniversary of the Nigerian Air Force in Enugu over the weekend said the Force is already leveraging on its internal capacity to innovate and deployment of emerging technologies for its operations.
The vice president commended the management team of the Air Force for its recent accomplishments and the foresightedness of the Chief of Air Staff which “was instrumental to the renewed focus and self-reliance in the Nigerian Air Force.
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According to him, these qualities are manifesting in various ways, from the locally-developed operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, TSAIGUMI, which the President formally inducted into service in February 2018.
He also identified the collaborative work being done at the Air Force Research and Development Centre in Kaduna to produce the first-ever made-in-Nigeria aircraft. as commendable.
The Vice President says the resolve of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the invaluable contributions of other security agencies in fully containing the security challenges in some parts of the nation are noted and commended.
Osinbajo also highlighted the Federal Government’s commitment to prioritising professionalism in the military since the assumption of the Buhari administration in 2015, which includes the acquisition of new air platforms for the Nigerian Air Force such as the JF-17 Thunder Multirole Fighter Aircraft, the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, DA-62 aircraft, T-129 Attack Helicopter, Beechcraft aircraft and unmanned aerial systems.
(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
