The new Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, said on Wednesday that the Nigerian Air Force is developing a strategy in its fight against Boko Haram and other threats to national security especially in the volatile North-East and Niger Delta regions.
The new Air Chief, who was on an operational visit – his first – to 97 Special Operations Group in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, as part of his tour to the units under tactical commands, stressed the need for the Nigerian Air Force to evaluate past performances and improve on areas necessary.
AVM Abubakar pointed out that such step would provide an effective force to tackle security challenges in both regions, adding that he was in Port Harcourt to have a first-hand assessment of the officers, men and assets of the Nigerian Air Force.
“What I can assure you is that we are doing everything possible to evaluate what has been done in the past with a view to re-strategising, so that we have a very effective force to deal with security challenges both in the Niger Delta and the North-East.
“We are trying to look at processes; what have we been doing in the past? What do we need to do more to be more effective? That is why this is the second unit I am visiting since I came in office.
“I am in Port Harcourt to look at our men, look at our assets, officers, who have been contributing so much in terms of dealing with the security challenges; to also see what assets we need to bring in more to enhance our effectiveness in dealing with these challenges”, Abubakar said.
The Chief of Air Staff, who also touched on the rot in the system, explained that there was no perfect system anywhere in the world but evaluation was necessary to identify areas of deficiencies with a view to improving on them.
Abubakar pointed out that pilots operating in the North-East were careful in order to avoid collateral damages, adding that such measure was in line with global trends.
He further stated that the Nigerian Air Force was bombarding Boko Haram enclaves with caution so as not to breach international laws.
