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| Boko Haram militants (in camouflage) embrace and shake hands with Boko Haram prisoners, released in exchange for a group of 82 Chibok girls, who were held captive for three years by Islamist militants, near Kumshe, Nigeria, May 6, 2017. |
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar has solicited the continued support of the civil populace in the war against insurgency, which he said has defied conventional battle.
He said that the anti-terror war cannot be fought in isolation of the civil populace, “hence the need to integrate and win the hearts and minds of the civilian populace towards gaining intelligence to further our missions and operations.
The Chief of the Air Staff spoke at the opening ceremony of a two-day retreat for NAF Commanders at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja.
According to him, “it is also pertinent to remind ourselves of the contemporary asymmetric nature of warfare, which has defied the conventional battle. We must recognise that this war cannot be fought in isolation of the civil populace, hence the need to integrate, and win the hearts and minds of the civilian populace towards gaining intelligence to further our missions and operations”.
Highlighting the importance of the retreat, Sadique noted that, “Commanders’ Retreat is an event organised to enhance the capacity of commanders and potential commanders in the NAF.
“As you are all already aware, the Vision of this administration was hinged on human capacity development. This is why we made consistent efforts over the past four and half years to conduct training of officers and airmen/airwomen both locally and abroad across various NAF specialties/trades towards ensuring an effective and efficient employment of airpower in response to National security imperatives.
“Let me use this forum to remind us of our responsibilities to our dear nation as a fighting force. We are all obliged to protect the sovereignty and sanctity of our dear country, Nigeria.
“The unity, as well as the protection of lives and properties of the inhabitants. These can only be achieved through a sound mind, renewed orientation and re-evaluation of our actions and inactions as leaders. It is also pertinent to remind ourselves of the contemporary asymmetric nature of warfare, which has defied the conventional battle
“I must also reiterate that in the midst of economic challenges, resources at our disposal, as commanders, must be utilized prudently towards the attainment of set objectives. Needful to say that this present dispensation has zero tolerance for financial misappropriation, hence the need for Commanders to keep abreast of the financial regulations as regards discharge of public funds. Let me assure you that Headquarters Nigerian Air Force is working assiduously to ensure that the mandate assigned to the NAF is achieved. As such commanders should remain assured of our support towards the successful conduct of missions and operations”.
Earlier in his address, NAF Chief of Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal, disclosed that “this Year’s 2020 Commanders’ Retreat was necessitated by the recent appointment of various officers in the NAF to command appointments”.
He added that, “the NAF is not oblivious of the fact that the Commanders have acquired and equipped themselves with various tools for discharge of command duties either from staff courses, war colleges, defence colleges or through personal efforts. However, experiences are expensive resources that cannot be overemphasized in a journey of success. For you to succeed, you must take a gaze at the horses ahead.
“Moreover, the fluid nature of the contemporary security situation requires commanders to be flexible in discharge of command responsibilities of which shared ideas and experiences could greatly help in the light of command challenges.
“This Year 2020 Retreat is purposed to avail commanders and prospective commanders with, out of the book experiences from retired senior officers who held command appointments while in the Service. It will also provide room for sharing of opinions and experiences of various commanders on various command responsibilities, issues and challenges.”
