Bauchi govt donates land to boost NAF’s capacity

Bauchi State Government has donated a piece of land within the Lame and Bura Forests to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for the establishment of an Air Range, as part of its contribution to the human capacity development of the military.

The state Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, made this known on Sunday during the commissioning of an outdoor small arms shooting range and other projects recently executed by the NAF at its Base in Bauchi.

In statement signed by the NAF spokesperson, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, he added that the Bauchi State governor noted that the NAF had done remarkably well in dealing with most of the security challenges confronting the nation.

He said the NAF had always demonstrated professionalism and discipline in the conduct of its operations while making invaluable sacrifices to ensure peace and security in the country.

The governor seized the opportunity to once more thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the establishment of SOC and the NAF Base in Bauchi.

He equally appreciated the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) for his untiring efforts at placing necessary facilities in the Base, including the NAF Reference Hospital, which according to him was proving quite beneficial to Bauchi State residents.

In his remarks, the CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar said that the asymmetric challenges facing the nation had necessitated the establishment of the SOC, and units under its command, in order to sharpen the NAF’s response capability in Internal Security and counterinsurgency operations.

Air Marshal Abubakar noted that the NAF had trained over 2,000 Special Forces personnel to bridge the gap between force projection and force protection, with 1,000 of these personnel deployed, along with air assets, alongside other security agencies in the North East, North Central, South-South, South East and the North West.

Speaking further, the CAS noted that he was rejigging air operations in Zamfara State with additional air assets being deployed in support of Operation Sharan Daji with a view to further deal decisive blows on armed bandits.

He therefore thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the enabling environment that had facilitated the purchase 18 brand new aircraft as well as the reactivation of 13 previously unserviceable ones in just 3 years, thereby enhancing NAF’s ability to meet national security imperatives.