Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), air marshal Hasan Abubakar, has said the rising cost of Jet A-1 fuel was mitigating air operations and sought approval for the service to commence independent importation of the product.
He stated this yesterday when he received the House of Representative Committee on Air Force led by the chairman, Hon. Kabiru Alhassan Rurum at headquarters Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
In a statement by the director of public relations and information, air vice marshal Edward Gabkwet, Abubakar briefing the committee highlighted Nigeria’s current security environment, which remained fluid, dynamic and unpredictable.
He said, “While terrorists’ activities in the Northeast and Northwest Nigeria have declined, we have in recent times witnessed an escalation in the rate and frequency of kidnappings and hostage-taking by these same criminals in the region. The recent coordinated spate of kidnappings of over 200 school children in Kaduna, 15 students in Sokoto and several others in Borno States are clear pointers to this fact”.
The CAS added that in the southeast and south-south region, the threats posed by secessionists and oil thieves, though on the decline, have also been a source of concern.
“These situations have been exacerbated as more Nigerians slip into poverty, occasioned by lack of jobs amid high cost of living, causing some to turn to crime” he said.
The air chief however stated that despite these challenges, the NAF has continued to embark on a wide range of intensive air operations, including Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance, Air Interdiction and Armed Reconnaissance across operational theatres in the country, with varying degree of successes.
He attributed these successes to the unwavering support of the President Bola Tinubu as evident in the recent acquisition and induction of various platforms with the most recent being the induction of 2 x T-129 ATAK Helicopters.
Abubakar also reeled out some pressing challenges militating against NAF’s effectiveness, one of which is the astronomic rise in fuel prices and the introduction of surcharges.
