The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar has inaugurated the permanent site of the Nigeria Air Force Institute of Safety, located at Rigachikun area of Kaduna.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the institute provides comprehensive and inclusive safety training for air force personnel, other security services and organisations.
Abubakar said at the event on Friday that the new structures for the school were provided within a year.
he added that the institute would “add much needed military presence, a more positive sense of security and employment opportunity to Rigachikun community.”
He noted that the institute had conducted three training courses from January 2018 on safety management and occupational health.
The air chief charged the personnel to ensure adequate and sustained maintenance of the various infrastructure not only at the institute but also in all NAF barracks.
Abubakar also reminded air service personnel not to relent in confronting the heightened insecurity in the country, stressing that it was imperative to protect the citizenry and critical national assets.
The air chief pledged continuous commitment to the welfare of all personnel and in providing training and facilities for effective operations.
The Special Guest, AVM Mohammed Audu-Bida (rtd) reminded members of the armed forces that the fight against insurgency in the North East and militancy in the Niger Delta are not yet completely over.
“You must therefore sustain the tempo of your operations so as to completely wipe out these and similar threats from our land.
“I am aware of the various complex security issues such as increased spate of kidnapping, armed robbery, herdsmen and farmer crises currently rocking the length and breadth of the country.
“You must be seen to adequately protect yourselves and your prized families as well as the citizens and other friends that are residents with us in the country.”
Audu-Bida advised the NAF leadership to leverage the recent boost to its Order of Battle with the acquisition of sophisticated fighter planes “by ensuring the protection of the tax payers across Nigeria and beyond.”
” You must constantly remind yourselves that the operational efficiency of the Armed Forces has the potential to further safeguard our economic interest in addition to reassuring potential investors into our economy.
“You must therefore remain determined in discharging your constitutional obligations to ensure that we completely defeat the present security challenges threatening our corporate unity and usher in a more prosperous and peaceful Nigeria.”
NAN reports that among facilities provided include the headquarters complex, students hostel, airmen transit quarters, accommodation for officers, 11 boreholes, reservoirs, ground and overhead tanks, and internal roads and drainage.