Insecurity: Air Force inducts 11 pilots

The Nigerian Air Force Tuesday, inducted 11 new Pilots with their ‘Wings’ after completion of flight training within Nigeria and abroad with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu  charging the young pilots to be prepared for the huge task of fitting into the operational flying environment (fighting terrorism) prevalent today.

Declaring that pilot training and general training is one of the key drivers of his vision, the Air Chief said, “To this effect, we have spared no effort in ensuring NAF personnel are well trained to carry out their constitutional duties. For now we have 32 Student pilots in various flying institutions in Nigeria and USA who expectedly would be winged before the end of the year.”

Amosu while decorating the pilots made up of 3 Group Captains, one Wing Commander, one Squadron Leader and 6 Flying officers, advised them not to rest on their oars by assuming they have arrived saying, “Flying operations involved a lot of discipline, hard work and diligence for you to succeed”.

He said the young officers were being inducted as pilots at a period NAF platforms are being reactivated and new ones acquired, noting “you must therefore key into the developmental strides of the service and be ready for duty whenever it calls”.

On Boko Haram insurgency, Amosu said, “As you are aware, the Nigeria Air Force has done creditably well in discharging her duty at the ongoing operation Zaman Lafiya in the north East. The crops of pilots undertaking daring mission in the midst of real danger are testimonies of the qualities of training provided by the NAF”.

“My administration deliberately focussed on training and re-training of our personnel in order to bequeath to the NAF, a cream of well trained personnel that are combat ready and meet international standards”.    

The pilots are Group Captains Micheal Ekueme, Essien Effanga and Olayinka Oyesola; Wing Commander Dan Apyeyak, Sqr. Ldr Uchenna Ihediwa, Flying Officer Babatunde Balogun and Flying Officer Mohammed Ndakun.

Others are Flying Officers Kabiru Gwandu, Jude Nwaedozie, Tobenna Makata and M. Abdulhameed.

Earlier, Director of training, NAF, AVM Emeka Okoye recalled that 15 pilots who graduated from pilots training from FSI, Vance AFB USA and IAC Ilorin were winged on the 15th of April.

Reps