In continuation of its efforts to enhance the capacity of its personnel to effectively contend with the security challenges confronting the Nation, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on October 11, 2019, graduated a total of 71 junior officers from the Young Officers’ Course (YOC) at the Military Training Centre (MTC), NAF Base, Kaduna.
The 3 month-long YOC 14/2019 was unique in the sense that, for first time since the re-introduction of YOC in the NAF, Pilot Officers (41 in all), also participated, along with 30 Flying Officers.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, held at the Shittu Alao Auditorium, NAF Base Kaduna, the Guest of Honour (GOH), the Air Secretary Headquarters NAF, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Mahmoud Ahmed, stated that the current security challenges confronting the Nation have made it imperative for the NAF to continually equip its personnel with necessary knowledge and skills to make them more effective in the discharge of their duties.
This, he noted, was the reason why the NAF has continued to place premium on human capacity development as a critical enabler of operational effectiveness.
He therefore urged the graduating officers to justify the resources that had been invested in them by always displaying the highest standards of loyalty and discipline, while carrying out their duties diligently and professionally.
AVM Ahmed also charged the graduands to be innovative and come up with more proactive ways to make judicious use of resources entrusted to them as junior commanders.
The GOH commended the Air Officer Commanding Ground Training Command (AOC GTC), AVM Idi Amin, as well as the Commandant and staff of MTC for providing a conducive environment for training and ensuring the successful conduct of the course.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commandant MTC, Group Captain Abdullahi Bello, said the objective of the YOC was to improve the knowledge of the young officers with a view to enhancing their productivity.
He added that the Course had exposed the student officers to lectures and exercises tailored towards developing their staff duties as well as their analytical and communication skills.
He noted further that, in view of the NAF’s increasing role in internal security operations, the graduands were also trained on the basics of unconventional and irregular warfare to prepare them for immediate induction into various theatres of operation across the country.
One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of awards to graduating officers who distinguished themselves on the course; with Pilot Officer Muhammed Usman, Flying Officer Michael Anthony and Pilot Officer Godsblessing Lucky bagging the CAS, AOC GTC and Commandant MTC’s awards for emerging first, second and third in order of merit on the course, respectively.
Dignitaries at the ceremony included the AOCs of Air and Ground Training Commands as well as Commandants and Commanders of NAF institutions and units in Kaduna.