Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, has charged newly graduated pilots of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to serve the nation with dedication.
He also charged them not to view their flying qualifications merely as personal milestones but as a solemn national responsibility.
The CAS made the call during the combined graduation ceremony of basic transport flying course 5 and ab-initio student pilot course 49 held at the 401 Flying Training School (FTS), Kaduna yesterday.
NAF spokesman Air Cdre Ehimen Ejodame said the air chief addressed the 35 new aviators, comprising 10 basic transport course graduates and 25 ab-initio student pilots, reminded them of the immense trust placed on their shoulders.
He noted that their graduation marked the beginning of a life-long commitment to national service.
He said, “You carry not just rank and wings, but the hopes of millions of Nigerians who depend on us for safety and security.”
He further stressed that the operational strength of the NAF was directly linked to the standard of its training.
“In the Nigerian Air Force, we say that the quality of our training determines the strength of our operations. This is why, under my leadership, we are upgrading training institutions, inducting more aircraft, and evolving our doctrines to meet the demands of modern warfare,” he said.
Air Marshal Abubakar described the graduation as another milestone in the ongoing transformation of the NAF into a more agile, resilient and technology-driven force.
He commended the 401 FTS for over four decades of excellence in pilot training, during which it has produced more than 700 pilots for the NAF, Nigerian Navy and other African countries, including Republic of Benin, Cape Verde, Niger, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone.
The CAS reiterated the Nigerian Air Force’s unwavering dedication to enhancing professional capacity, improving personnel welfare, and executing its constitutional mandate to safeguard Nigeria’s territorial integrity while supporting national development.
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