Be Innovative, Proactive In Tackling Threats, Defence Minister Charges War College Graduands

The Minister of Defence, Dr Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has charged graduating officers of the Air War College to emergence to the demands of a caller epoch of struggle by embracing innovation, foresight, and proactive leadership.

The Minister, represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, charged members of Air War Course 11/2025 to spot themselves arsenic frontline thinkers and doers successful Nigeria’s information architecture.

“The emergence of convulsive non-state actors, asymmetric warfare, and analyzable information threats requires innovative and proactive methods to combat them,” helium declared.

“The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has been astatine the forefront of addressing these challenges, and your grooming astatine this esteemed instauration has equipped you with the cognition and skills to marque decisive contributions to this effort.”

In a connection by the NAF Spokesman, Air Cdre Ehimen Ejodame, the Minister stressed that arsenic the threats facing Nigeria turn much analyzable and transnational, from coercion to insurgency, piracy, and organised crime, the request for highly trained, adaptable, and innovative leaders cannot beryllium overemphasised.

He commended the NAF for consistently prioritising nonrecreational subject acquisition arsenic a cornerstone for shaping operational-level leaders susceptible of gathering some nationalist and determination information demands.

He besides applauded the relation of the Air War College successful deepening Nigeria’s defence practice with affable nations, noting the information of officers from Cameroon, Botswana, and Morocco alongside counterparts from the Nigerian Army and Navy.

According him, specified collaboration was captious for gathering synergy successful tackling the cross-border networks of extremist and transgression groups destabilising Africa.

In his remarks, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, charged the graduating officers to face coercion with urgency, informing that “the task astatine manus is to guarantee that coercion anyplace is defeated earlier it undermines bid everywhere.”

He stressed that Africa’s expanding transnational panic networks request coordinated and decisive responses.

The CAS further reminded the graduands that they are the torchbearers of the aboriginal of their Air Forces, declaring: “The aboriginal of airpower rests successful your hands, and your quality to employment it decisively volition onslaught astatine the precise centre of gravity of the adversary.”

Speaking further, the CAS celebrated the graduation of 29 elder officers from the Course, which marks different milestone successful gathering the intelligence and operational capableness required for nationalist defence.

The course, which commenced connected January 15, 2025, was designed to nutrient operational-level commanders susceptible of interpreting strategical directives and integrating the diplomatic, informational, military, and economical dimensions of nationalist powerfulness into the readying and execution of aerial operations.

Earlier successful his invited address, the Commandant of the Air War College, Air Vice Marshal Babatunde Phillips, described the ceremonial arsenic the culmination of months of intelligence rigour and nonrecreational transformation. He lauded the resilience and maturity displayed by Course 11 participants and urged them to use their recently acquired cognition to applicable leadership.

The politician of Benue State, Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia, represented by the Deputy Governor, Barrister Sam Ode, commended the NAF for its committedness to fantabulous grooming and sacrifice of the Armed Forces successful defence of our nation.

The 37-week people sharpened the capableness of 29 participants successful leadership, strategy, associated operations, and cyber warfare, culminating successful their conferment with the Fellowship of the Air War College, Nigeria.

Highlights included awards to graduands, Cdr PC Onah arsenic Overall Best and Best Research Paper awardee, Gp Capt CJ Mbam arsenic Second Best, Wg Cdr EA Okeke arsenic Third Best, and Lt Col PNE Nguoa of Cameroon arsenic Best Allied Participant.

The graduation celebrated their achievements and reaffirmed the NAF’s committedness to advancing airpower education, fostering planetary collaboration, and safeguarding national sovereignty.