The need to move the Nigerian Air Force from the position of dilapidated aircraft, to a state of combat readiness was the main focus of Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike as he tours the force’s formation in Lagos, South West Nigeria recently.
The visit however, became a mini-celebration for families of Nigerian Air Force personnel who came out in their large numbers, with various musical instruments to receive the Air Force Chief.
Beginning from Officers Wives Association, commonly called NAFOWA, Airmen Wives Association also called AWA to the civilian staff of Nigerian Ministry of Defence, it was a huge celebration as they praised President Olusegun Obasanjo’s for appointing the officer to be in-charge of the force.
The reason for the celebration the wives of Air Force personnel explained was that the new Chief of the Air Staff had expressed strong determination to revive the force and move it forward from its present position to a glorious future.
It is the belief of the personnel that combat capability and operational efficiency is a vital segment of the country’s defence system.
This message of combat capability was the thrust of Air Marshal Dike memo as he tour the Aircraft Maintenance Depot (ACMD), the NAF base in the outskirt of Lagos, the 88Military Airlift Group, the 445 NAF Hospital, NAF camp Victoria Island and the Equipment Supply Depot (ESD).
Describing funding as the basic requirement for effective performance and mission accomplishment, Air Marshall Dike, said the Air Force has suffered over the years from gross inadequacy of financial allocations. His guests and everyone else who read the report must have grasped the implications. He called for improved funding, while intimating that the Force requires US$50 million to train 15 pilots abroad yearly.
Apart from pilot training, the Air Marshal Dike also talked about equipment, which would make the force to continue to be key factor in the defence of the Nigeria against external aggression.
Indeed, the Nigerian Air Force needs huge fund to revive its fleet of transport planes, the Charlie-130-Hercules (C-130-H) and the G222 and also the fighter aircraft, including the Sepecat Jaguar and the MiG-21which had been grounded for a longtime.
In Lagos alone, the new Air Force chief saw fleets of its transport plane with completely broken wings and begging to be revived.
Inside the NAF hangar, some of the planes had been dismantled, apparently for repairs, but the necessary funds needed to bring in some of the broken down equipment are yet to be released by the Federal Government.
That notwithstanding, the force said it has commenced recovery works on the G222, another small transport plane which could be used in combat situation to drop supplies and troops mid-air.
The Chief of Air Staff saw for himself, internal effort by NAF personnel to put the G222 back in the air at the Aircraft Maintenance Depot (ACMD).
According to NAF sources, the aircraft need to be taken abroad for effective repairs, known within the force as period depot maintenance, but funds have also been hampering this effort.
Also, Air Marshal Dike expressed shock when he visited the C-130 simulator in Lagos, which was installed several years ago, but have not been used once for pilot training.
Several problems had prevented the use of the simulator, chief among them was the lack of steady power to run the simulator which is to run 24 hours uninterrupted.
The simulator had been lying idle that many NAF officers would prefer the equipment had remained in the United States where it was brought from.
However not deterred by this, the Air Force Chief voiced the need for the force’s personnel to rise up the challenges of broken equipment, but insisted that efforts must be made to properly fund the force to enable the administration achieve its blue sky dream.
Dike in his maiden tour of Nigerian Air Force formation in Lagos felt the pulse of officers and men of the force and their families, expressing strong determination to revive the force and move it forward from its present position.
It is the belief of the personnel that combat capability and operational requirements is a vital segment of the country’s defence system.
Moving away from the weapons of war, the Air force chief also commissioned the computer centre at the Personnel Management Group and an Ultra modern office complex at the Pay and Accounting Group of the force.
To ensure the efficiency of its drivers and prevent frequent clashes between its officers and personnel of the Federal Road Safety Commission, the force also invited the officials of the FRSC to present drivers’ license to its drivers.
Atleast over 10 drivers of the force were handed out a valid driver’s license, while some officers and personnel were certified fit to drive on Nigerian roads.