The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday, 25 February 2020, graduated Participants of the first-ever Command Responsibility Course at the Air Force War College (AFWC), Makurdi. The 4-week Course had 23 participants made up of Commanders and aspiring Commanders from a cross-section of NAF units and specialties. Speaking during the graduation ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Chief of Administration (COA), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Mohammed Idris, charged the graduands to adopt a holistic approach at all levels of leadership to ensure effective tactical and operational command.

AVM Idris further stated that the performance of tactical and operational Commanders has emerged as an area requiring attention in the collective efforts towards engineering an Air Force that meets national aspirations. According to him, “A capable and effective Air Force must be commanded at all levels such that tactical outputs align with strategic objectives. We are the guardians of our national air domain”, he said. The COA also lauded the effort of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, for prioritizing the acquisition of a mix of aircraft platforms for the NAF, including the Super Tucano, Super Mushshak, Mi-35M, Agusta 109 Power and the Mi-171E.

In his welcome address, the Commandant AFWC, AVM Charles Oghomwen, stated that the curriculum for the 4-week Course, being the first of its kind, was designed to deconstruct for the Participants, the essence of Command responsibilities. The curriculum captured such diverse Command-related subject areas as Leadership; Unit, Personnel and Financial Administration; Base Defence; Civil-Military Cooperation and Air Power. Other subject areas covered include Military Disciplinary and Judicial Systems as well as Arms and Information Management, among others.

One of the highlights of the occasion was the presentation of certificates and Commanders’ Resource Bags, which contain digital collection of all the lectures delivered during the Course, to the graduating participants. The event was attended by the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Air Command, Air Vice Marshal Olusegun Philip; the Commandant Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering, Major General Peter Eromosele, as well as Commanders of co-located NAF Units in Makurdi.