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Eid-El-Fitr: CAS charges troops on combat readiness

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The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has charged the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole to be vigilant and combat-ready to guarantee security throughout the Eid-El-Fitr period and beyond in the country.

Abubakar made the call on Monday at the Maiduguri Air Force Base during the Eid el-Fitr lunch with troops of the Air Component.

Abubakar commended the troops for their commitment to carrying out the fight and urged them to sustain the tempo.
He said that the luncheon was in keeping with the tradition of celebrating the festive period with frontline troops to boost their morale and foster comradeship in their duty of securing the nation against criminal elements.

Abubakar said that in spite of the challenges of competing resources occasioned by the COVID-19 induced lockdown, the NAF through pragmatic planning and foresight, maintained the tempo of its operations, not only in the North East, but other parts of the country.

“I want to reiterate that not only are we going to sustain operations, but we will also continue to leap forward based on my key drivers.

“We have kept the pace in training of both air and ground crews, developed the Regiment specialty to defend our Bases and increased the force structure of the Service, whilst building more accommodation and office infrastructure to cope with the growth,” Abubakar said.

He said that NAF had also recruited about 11,000 personnel to increase its manpower disposition for services to the country within the last five years.

“I’m delighted to also observe that very soon we are going to get the Airforce flank flying in Damaturu as well to ensure that our aircraft do not have to come back to Maiduguri to refuel while fighting these bandits.

“Need I remind you all that our exploits would not have been possible without the support of the President and Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, who has provided us with the resources required to perform our assigned duties.

“We can only show our appreciation for the President’s support to the Nigerian Air Force by remaining a disciplined force and exhibiting the highest level of professionalism in all our actions,” said Abubakar.

In his remarks, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, lauded the Chief of Air Staff, the Air Components Commander of the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole and other personnel for their support in combating insurgency in Borno and Northeast in general.

Zulum said that the epic efforts of the NAF was recognized and has been commended by the people of Borno.

“In addition to providing enabling environment to people of Borno state to do their normal activities, we also acknowledged the support of the NAF especially in capital projects to support displaced persons in the state.”

Zulum reiterated the commitment of his administration to continue to support NAF in achieving its desired objective in the fight against terrorism.

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