The Nigerian Air Force has appointed Grace Tabawa Garba as the nation’s first female Air Warrant Officer (AWO).

The Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, confirmed the appointment in a statement on Tuesday.

He explained that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, approved Garba’s promotion from Master Warrant Officer (MWO) to an AWO.

“With the promotion, MWO Garba becomes the first female Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) to be promoted to the highest rank in the Non-Commissioned Officers’ cadre in the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” the statement read in part.

According to the Air Force spokesman, the “promotion demonstrates the commitment of the current NAF leadership in paying adequate attention to the empowerment of female personnel to realize their full potentials.”

Daramola believes that Garba’s promotion “would serve as a motivation and spur other airwomen in the Service to strive for excellence and aspire for such rare elevation.”

Garba who was born on February 14, 1966, in Garkida, Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State joined the NAF in 1986 as a member of Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) 10.

She holds a Certificate in Nursing from School of Nursing, Maiduguri, Certificate in Midwifery from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, a certificate in Public Health Nursing from School of Health Technology in Kaduna State respectively.

The newly-promoted MWO also holds an Advanced Diploma in Public Administration at the Federal University of Technology, Yola.

At the moment, she is the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of the NAF School of Medical Sciences and Aviation Medicine (NAFSMSAM), Kaduna. She will be decorated with the new rank on October 15, 2019.