Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar, has urged the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to adopt the Nigerian Air Force College of Nursing Sciences’ (NAFCONS) pioneering “Air Mobile First Aid” training as a national standard.
The CAS represented by the chief of medical services, Air Vice Marshal Anthony Ekpe, made the call during the matriculation ceremony for National Diploma I (Set 6) students of NAFCONS held on Friday at the NAF Base in Kaduna.
According to the CAS, the training has the potential to revolutionise emergency healthcare across the country.
“This initiative is not just a military innovation, it is a national asset,” he said, “It is time we scale this programme beyond NAFCONS, making it a cornerstone in our national nursing curriculum. The future of emergency healthcare in Nigeria depends on it.”
The CAS emphasised that the training focuses on aeromedical evacuation, rapid response in austere environments, and critical military and aerospace nursing competencies.
He commended the collaboration between NAFCONS and the Nigerian Air Force School of Medical Sciences and Aviation Medicine, describing it as “a model of readiness for crisis response and emergency care in complex terrains.”
Air Marshal Abubakar also applauded NAFCONS for setting new standards in nursing education, noting its ability to produce highly skilled, compassionate, and innovative healthcare professionals.
He lauded the institution’s integration of both military and civilian students within a values-driven academic environment, calling it “a powerful symbol of unity and national progress.”
Commandant of NAFCONS, Squadron Leader Boyi Elisha, expressed gratitude to the CAS, CMS, and regulatory agencies such as the NMCN and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for their sustained support.
He announced the college’s consistent 100% pass rate in the national nursing licensing examinations and reaffirmed its mission to produce “world-class nurses who are equipped for both civilian and military service.”
The event marked a significant milestone, with 120 students, the college’s highest intake yet, taking the matriculation oath, further underscoring the Nigerian Air Force’s commitment to education, healthcare, and civil-military collaboration for national development.
