Air Force War College Graduates 29 Officers

Nigerian Air Force War College has graduated 29 officers and charged them to apply the knowledge and skills they acquired to provide creative and innovative solutions to the country’s security challenges.

The minister of Defence Mohammed Abubakar who made this known during the graduation of the Air War Course 11/2025, said the college is a citadel of training, operational art, critical thinking, and pragmatic frameworks for military decision-making processes, which will enhance the success of operational plans and develop a culture of proactiveness in military engagements.

According to him, “The institution was established to train operational level military leaders, who will contribute towards fulfilling the constitutional roles of the Nigerian Air Force and the Armed Forces as a whole.”

Represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa said, he said, “I believe your graduation has come at a time when fresh ideas are needed to address our nation’s security challenges. You will be required to bring to bear the knowledge, skills, and attitude you have acquired to proffer creative solutions to these challenges.

“It is no doubt that the Nigerian Air Force would require sound minds to comply with best global practices in warfare conduct, especially in asymmetric warfare, in which the Armed Forces of Nigeria are currently employed.”

While commending the leadership style and commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which has equipped the Nigerian Air Force with the necessary platforms and resources to meet the nation’s security challenges the minister also applauded the commandant, faculty and staff of the college for their dedication and hard work in shaping the minds of these graduands, saying “ I am confident that your efforts will not be in vain.”

On his part, the Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall Bala Abubakar who commended the commandant and the graduands said, “I am optimistic that having gone through the rigours of the training for the past 9 months, you have been equipped with the capacity to effectively employ airpower in the contemporary and future security environments.”

According to him, “My philosophy as the Chief of the Air Staff is to transform the Nigerian Air Force into an agile and resilient force that effectively meets the airpower demands of national security in all operational environments.

“ And one of the key enablers of this philosophy is “Deliberate training and mission-oriented force development. Thus, today’s graduation is consistent with the concerted efforts to actualise my vision. I am therefore pleased to be here on this special occasion.

“It is heartwarming to note that the College has since began to attract wider patronage as among the 29 graduands today are 2 Cameroonian officers, 2 Batswana officer and one Moroccan officer as well as 2 each from the Nigerian Army and Navy. Additionally, approval has been given for participants from 5 more countries to join the next course,” CAS added.

In a welcome address, the Commandant of Air War College, Babatunde Phillips, described the graduation as nine months of intellectual rigour, professional dedication, and the forging of leadership capacity that will shape the future of the Nigerian Armed Forces and participating allied countries.

According to him, “The Air Force War College stands as a citadel of advanced learning, where officers are transformed from tacticians to strategists, from leaders of units to leaders of thought, prepared to address the dynamic security challenges of our nation and beyond.”

He said, “The journey of Air War Course 11/2025 began on 17 January 2025, with a distinguished cohort of 29 officers. These included participants from the Nigerian Armed Forces, sister institutions such as the National Defence College, Abuja, and international officers from Botswana, Cameroon, and Morocco. This deliberate mix reflects our enduring commitment to fostering regional integration and multinational collaboration.”

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, represented by Deputy Governor Sam Ode, said the Nigerian Airforce has become a citadel of professionalism in all ramifications, which has been demonstrated by the constant training of its personnel to match the global standards of operations.

While commending them for the zeal in the fight against insecurity across the country, which has brought relative peace, the governor said with the training, the personnel will strategise on innovative ways to fight insecurity in the country.