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HMOD AFFIRMS FG’S COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING NAF’S OPERATIONAL CAPACITY TO COMBAT EMERGING THREATS

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HMOD AFFIRMS FG’S COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING NAF’S OPERATIONAL CAPACITY TO COMBAT EMERGING THREATS

By: Olusola F Akinboyewa

The Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD), Dr Mohammed Badaru Abubakar mni, has affirmed the commitment of the Federal Government under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, to bolstering the operational capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) towards effectively addressing emerging security threats. This was revealed by the HMOD, during the 2024 NAF Training, Operations and Safety Seminar which commenced today, 4 December 2024, at the NAF Officers Mess and Suites in Kado, Abuja.

The HMOD, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr Ibrahim Kana mni, also commended the NAF’s leadership under Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar for its proactive posture and decisive action in countering threats such as insurgency, terrorism and banditry through effective utilization of newly acquired assets and platforms. He noted the remarkable progress achieved by the NAF and other defence and security agencies in restoring stability to the Northeast and other parts of the country, attributing this success to the synergy between deliberate mission-oriented training and effective operational execution.

Speaking further, the HMOD highlighted the importance of the Seminar to sustaining the gains in enhancing Nigeria’s security. According to him, “the Northeastern part of the country now enjoys relative peace and calmness owing to the selfless contributions and dedication of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. All these would not have been possible if not for the constant need to assess performance and identify shortcomings in our operational activities and I believe this is what gave birth to a forum like this, where we would rub minds and examine areas that require improvement”.

The CAS, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support to the NAF, describing the current period as a “Golden Era” for the Service. He highlighted significant advancements under the Tinubu administration, including the acquisition of 12 advanced aircraft over the past year, such as KA-360i and DA-62 planes, as well as T-129 ATAK and AW-109 Trekker helicopters. Additionally, the CAS announced forthcoming deliveries of various high-performance platforms, including M-346FA jets, CASA-295 aircraft, and AH-1Z attack helicopters. He also noted the procurement of 12 pre-owned Alpha Jets from the French Air Force, with 6 to be operationally restored and 6 allocated for spare parts. These developments underscore the NAF’s enhanced operational readiness and modernization efforts. Accordingly, the CAS urged all participants at the Seminar to be fully engaged, absorb the lessons to be shared and apply them rigorously in their respective areas of responsibility. “Together, we can strengthen the Training, Operations as well as Safety posture of the NAF, thereby enhancing our ability to protect the integrity of the Nigerian Airspace, as we serve our Great Nation”, he added.

The Chief of Training and Operations, Air Vice Marshal FO Edosa, while delivering the training highlights before the winging of 28 new NAF pilots and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators, informed of significant strides in fleet expansion and pilot training under the leadership of Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar. He added that with 14 new platforms delivered and 50 more expected soon, the need for increased skilled aircrew cannot be overemphasized. The pilots and UAV operators were recognized for completing rigorous courses, including fighter, helicopter, and UAV pilot training conducted in Nigeria, Egypt, and the United States. According to him, the training programs focused on advanced tactical, operational, and safety skills to enhance the NAF’s readiness for contemporary security challenges.

The Seminar, themed “Agile and Resilient Air Power for National Security: Enhancing Safety and Optimizing NAF Air Operations to Combat Emerging Threats,” emphasises the critical role of safety, advanced training, and innovation in addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges. Scheduled to last two days, the 2024 NAF Training, Operations, and Safety Seminar has brought together experts to deliberate on key strategies to optimize NAF operations and enhance safety measures.

Day-One of the event featured several significant activities, including the winging of 28 newly trained NAF pilots and the presentation of awards for gallantry and exceptional performance to deserving personnel. Additionally, key milestones were achieved, such as the signing of reviewed memoranda of understanding between the NAF and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), as well as between the NAF and Hybrid HSE. The event also witnessed the historic presentation of an accreditation certificate as an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) to the Air Traffic Services Training Centre (ATSTC) by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This milestone achievement by the NAF has repositioned ATSTC for delivery of world-class capacity development not only for NAF and Nigeria’s civil aviation sector, but also for international partners.

The Training, Operations and Safety Seminar 2024 reinforces the NAF’s commitment to operational excellence and safety as well as its resolve to decisively address evolving threats to national security.

HMOD AFFIRMS FG’S COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING NAF’S OPERATIONAL CAPACITY TO COMBAT EMERGING THREATS

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Airstrike Hits ISWAP Enclave in Tumbuma Baba, scores Nutrialised

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Airstrike Hits ISWAP Enclave in Tumbuma Baba, scores Nutrialised

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), under the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), conducted a successful Air Interdiction (AI) mission at a terrorists’ hideout in the Southern Tumbuns general area in the Lake Chad of Borno, killing scores of the terrorists.

Intelligent sources told Zagazola Makama that the precision air strike, which took place at about 2100 hours on 5 May 2025, targeted a major terrorists’ concentration camp located in the Tumbuma Baba axis of Lake Chad.

The sources said that the offensive was in continuation of a decisive Operation KALACHEN WUTA II, aimed at denying terrorists the freedom to execute large-scale attacks during the Eid el-Kabir period.

The sources said that Intelligence and Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) reports confirmed that several terrorists were neutralised during the strike, and key logistics under heavy foliage were destroyed.

The sources said that the strikes followed credible intelligence on planned coordinated attacks by the insurgents before, during, and after the Eid festivities. The mission was meticulously planned and executed to forestall such threats and sustain pressure on terrorist elements operating in the Lake Chad fringes.

“We observed significant secondary explosions, indicating the presence of arms and fuel storage. Multiple terrorists were seen fleeing the area, while several others were eliminated during the strike,” the source said.

The sources said efforts are ongoing to gather further feedback, as well as to assess the operational impact of the interdiction.

He added that preliminary signs suggest a high level of disarray and panic within the terrorists’ ranks, with reports of attempted regrouping under surveillance.

Airstrike Hits ISWAP Enclave in Tumbuma Baba, scores Nutrialised

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Nigerian Air Force Neutralises Terrorists in Successful Air Interdiction at Maisani

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Nigerian Air Force Neutralises Terrorists in Successful Air Interdiction at Maisani

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai have executed a coordinated strike on a major terrorist enclave located at Maisani in the Timbuktu Triangle general area of Borno State, killing several ISWAP terrorists.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the air interdiction mission conducted on May 4, 2025, at approximately 1800 hours, was informed by credible intelligence and sustained surveillance, targeted terrorists’ structures cleverly concealed and camouflaged under thick shrubs in the area.

The sources said that using advanced platforms, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) conducted a focused Air Interdiction (AI) mission, resulting in the destruction of the identified enemy hideouts and the neutralisation of an unconfirmed number of insurgent fighters.

According to the sources, Post-strike Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) obtained from our Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms confirmed that the airstrike achieved its intended objectives, dealing a significant blow to terrorists.

Nigerian Air Force Neutralises Terrorists in Successful Air Interdiction at Maisani

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Nigeria Looks to World Bank to Tackle Challenges of National Capital Accounting

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Nigeria Looks to World Bank to Tackle Challenges of National Capital Accounting

By: Michael Mike

As the world marks the 2025 Environment Day, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has appealed to the World Bank for support on capacity building, data and in addressing the challenges poised by Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) in the country.

Head of Department, National Accounts Energy and Environment at the NBS, Dr. Baba Madu made the appeal at the 2025 Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) Conference on Thursday in Abuja with support from the World Bank in. collaboration with the NBS and the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Madu while noting that the NCA was a new area Nigeria must exploit to further boost the nation’s economy, said for Nigeria to grow and be at par with other developed nations, there was need to account for her natural resources.

He said: “NCA has been tasked with the crucial role of integrating natural capital into economic measurement. It is impossible to measure the economy accurately without accounting for natural resources. Issues such as environmental degradation, afforestation, desertification, and climate change all directly impact productivity.

“Productivity in turn, influences output—one of the core components of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These environmental factors must be reflected across all economic activity sectors to present a more accurate picture of national output.”

While stating that Nigeria currently has data on NCA in Nigeria, the NBS official however raised concerns over the huge data gap from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the environment sector.

He said: “We are not doing badly but we need to improve on what we are doing. In terms of data sources, I can tell you there’s a big gap because these are new areas needed to be exploited.”

Programme Leader on Sustainable Development at the World Bank, Vina Vutukuru, said there was need to jointly
explore the vital role of national accounting in national development plans and to brainstorm on how Nigeria could institutionalize it.

He said: “Establishing the national capital accounting as part of the national account system will allow us to measure the economic value of ecosystem services such as clean air, water and biodiversity which are essential for our well-being and economic prosperity.”

Vutukuru commended Nigeria for having “very bold ambitions” as far as responding to climate change was concerned saying, “That shows the commitment of the policy makers here towards the issue of climate.

“But I think to back up that aspiration and the aggressive goals that Nigeria has set for itself, the foundational thing for those goals to materialize those objectives to come true is a very strong natural account system.”

Head of Media, National Council on Climate Change Secretariat (NCCCS), Chioma Azie who represented her Director General, Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe at the event, described Nigeria as a very ambitious country, stressing that natural resources was instrumental to achieving all the objective of climate action.

She said: “Technology, policy reforms, behavioral changes has a role to play but natural resources is very key because they’re underpinning the mitigation and adaptation for climate action.

“If you look at Nigeria’s NDC, the NCA is an avenue to provide raw materials that we could use to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies.

“If you look at what we have done in terms of this NDC in 2020.which is the second leg of the NDC, we identified a lot of mitigation activities within this mentioned sectors of ours. In agricultural sector we talked about smart agriculture. What is smart agriculture without natural resources?

“We talked about biomass, what is biomass without natural resources? We also spoke about land use changes and that is natural resources, we talk about natural solutions and we talked about also afforestation, reafforestation. Those are mitigation potentials of our NDC. So, we cannot achieve our NDC without SEEA.

“What you cannot be able to account for is recorded as if it is not done so if we know what is existing in terms of the reservoirs we have for natural resources, it can inform the scope of the mitigation activities we’re going to be imputing in the NDC 3.0,” she said.

Nigeria Looks to World Bank to Tackle Challenges of National Capital Accounting

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