By Augustine Ehikioya
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has thanked God Almighty for the numerous successes the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has continued to record in all its operations.
He spoke with journalists after observing Jumaat prayer at the NAF Base, Asokoro Mosque on Friday 17 May, 2024 alongside other muslim faithfuls.
The prayer was part of activities lined up for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) 60th Anniversary celebrations.
A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal, Edward Gabkwet, and made available to Security Watch Africa (SWA), said he noted that the Jumaat prayers was aimed at offering special prayers for the NAF in commemoration of its 60th Anniversary.
According to him, “The significance of this day can therefore not be overemphasized in view of NAF’s rich history, which started after an Act of Parliament that officially established it as Nigeria’s Air Arm in April 1964.”
Speaking further, the CAS noted that looking back at NAF’s “contributory efforts during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967, to its metamorphosis and growth over the years to its current role as a major player in Nigeria security architecture, Nigerians as a whole have every reason to celebrate the NAF and its numerous achievements.”
He then added that, “It is for this reason and many more that we will be gathering other air forces, air chiefs as well as aviation enthusiasts from all over the world to commemorate this milestone in Abuja and Kaduna from 23-25 May 2024. We hope all Nigerians will come out enmass to support their Air Force.”
In closing, he stated that, “As we look forward to the next 60 years, we envision a NAF that will be able to project air power beyond the African continent.”