The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, says air power was critical to the defeat of asymmetric warfare, such as the insurgency.
A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore, Olatokunbo Adesanya, said Abubakar made the remark when he met with frontline troops at NAF Base in Yola.
“All hands must therefore, be on deck to ensure the effective projection of air power to complete the defeat of the insurgent’s challenge,”he said.
Abubakar urged all the personnel to ensure that all NAF aircraft committed to Operation “LAFIYA DOLE” remained serviceable and operational for NAF to effectively project air power.
He also assured the personnel that the Service Chiefs had started exploring how to improve the synergy among the three Services toward putting a final end to the menace of the insurgents.
Abubakar expressed appreciation to NAF personnel for their continued selfless efforts toward ensuring adequate security for Nigerians.
He commended their efforts in maintaining aircraft and associated equipment, which had enabled NAF to fly over 9,000 hours in the previous two years alone in prosecution of the counter-insurgency operations.
The CAS said that there was no doubt that the security situation in the country had improved tremendously, adding that NAF could still do more, especially in view of the recent setbacks.
He, therefore, urged the personnel to redouble their efforts at further ensuring the security of the country, stating that Nigerians expected more considering the huge taxpayers’ resources being expended to sustain the operations.
Abubakar urged them to always adhere strictly to all the safety standards and procedures already in place.
He also inspected ongoing projects at NAF Base in the state.
According to the director, most of the personnel appreciated the efforts of NAF leadership for creating a conducive environment to operate.
He said that some challenges bordering on operational, training and welfare matters and additional infrastructure development raised were addressed by the CAS.