By Victor Akaa, Abuja.
A maiden edition of Command Responsibility Course involving commanders of Nigerian Air Force has ended in Makurdi, the Benue state capital with a call on the commanders to adopt a holistic approach to all levels of leadership to ensure an effective tactical and operational command
A statement made available to Enugu Reporters by the Director of Public Relations and Information,
Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola says, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated Participants of the Command Responsibility Course at the Air Force War College (AFWC), Makurdi.
According to Daramola,the 4-week Course had 23 participants made up of Commanders and aspiring Commanders from a cross-section of NAF units and specialties.
According to Commodore Ibikule, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar was represented by the Chief of Administration (COA), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Mohammed Idris, who during the graduation ceremony, 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; Bass 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.
Enugu Reporters gathered that, 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.
