Nigerian Air Force promotes 50 senior officers

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Council has announced the promotion of its spokesperson and 49 senior officers to higher ranks.

According to a statement issued on Monday by Bassey Okon, a wing commander of the Directorate of Public Relations & Information, the promotion exercise was conducted to motivate Air Force personnel towards serving the nation diligently.

“The Air Council has today, November 20, 2017, approved the promotion of 50 senior officers, comprising 22 air commodores and 28 group captains, to the next higher ranks in the Nigerian Air Force, NAF”, the statement reads.

The statement noted that the promotions are in line with one of the key drivers of the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, an air marshal, which is to promote and inculcate the core values of integrity, excellence and service delivery among NAF personnel.
“As an annual exercise, the NAF undertakes promotion exercise to motivate officers and men towards rededicating themselves to assigned duties and service to the nation”.

“It is noteworthy that the exemplary and selfless sacrifice of late Air Commodore Adanu Ochai was recognized and rewarded by the CAS through his posthumous promotion”, NAF said

Those elevated to the rank of Air Vice Marshal include the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Olatokunbo Adesanya; Principal Director, Air Force Research and Development Center, Kaduna, Paul Jemitola; Senior Air Staff Officer, Tactical Air Command, Makurdi, Charles Ohwo; Director of Procurement, HQ NAF, Mohammed Yakubu; Commander 631 Aircraft Maintenance Depot, Lagos, Emmanuel Wonah; Director of Civil Military Relations, HQ NAF, Ubrufih Uzezi, Director of Air Engineering, HQ NAF, Hyacinth Eze; Commander 455 Base Services Group, Kano, Abubakar Liman; Air Component Commander, OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE, Idi Lubo; Commander 151 Base Services Group, Makurdi, Samuel Babalola; Director of Administration, HQ NAF, Nelson Calmday.

Others include Musa Tanko, Managing Director NAF Properties Limited; Haruna Mohammed, Commandant NAF Institute of Safety, Ipetu Ijesha; Olusegun Philip, Director of Manuals, HQ NAF; Aliyu Pani, Commander 051 Personnel Management Group, Lagos; Chinwendu Onyike, Command Logistics Officer, Tactical AIT Command, Makurdi; Suleiman Mohammed, Commander 109 Combat and Rescue Group, Makurdi; Dahiru Sanda, Deputy Director Policy, Defence Headquarters, Abuja; John Ochomma, Commander 081 Pay and Accounting Group Ikeja; Idi Amin, 351 Base Services Group, Minna; and Mahmud Madi, Commander 115 Special Operations Group, Port Harcourt.

The senior officers promoted from Group Captain to Air Commodore include Abubakar Abdullahi, Abraham Adole, Adebayo Kahinde, Michael Onyebashi, Uchechi Nwagwu, Ebimobo Ebiowe, Nnaemeka Ilo, Patrick Philips, Amos Bulus, Ahmed Bakari, Anthony Ndace, Halim Adebowale, Hassan Alhaji, Alfred Shogbanmu, Idi Sani, Usman Abdullahi, Kabir Umar, Olufemi Ogunsina, Mohammed Suleiman, David Aluku, Raymond Nwankwo, Lawal Danzangi, Razaq Shittu, Babatunde Ajayi, Samuel Chinda, Paul Irumheson, and Friday Ogohim. Adanu Ochai was promoted posthumously.

Mr. Ochai, a group captain, died on Thursday, August 24, 2017, when a NAF aircraft he was flying crashed in Kaduna.