By Elohor Igbru
For Nigeria to win the war against insurgency and banditry at various parts of the country, military officers must improve on intelligence gathering, Chief of Air Staff ( CAS) Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar has said.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of newly graduated students of Young Officers’ Course Nigerian Air Force (NAF) 1/2020 (YOC 1/2020) of the Defence Intelligence College (DIC) Karu Abubakar urged the young officers to bring their newly acquired knowledge and skills to bear in the production of actionable Intelligence that would enhance the operations of the Service in ensuring a secured, united and prosperous Nigeria.
Air Marshal Abubakar disclosed that the decision to conduct the course at the DIC was borne out of his desire to produce well-grounded Intelligence Officers capable of supporting the NAF in delivering on its constitutional mandate.
Speaking further, the CAS, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the graduation ceremony, stated that to successfully prosecute the ongoing counter insurgency and anti-banditry operations across the Country, Intelligence gathering was critical. Good Intelligence, according to him, is a prerequisite for any successful operation, particularly air operations, whose effect could be devastating, and as such mistakes are unacceptable.
“The only way to get good Intelligence is by building robust networks that are predicated on excellence and competence which can only be achieved through good training of Intelligence operatives. It is in this regard that a lot of resources was invested into your training”, he said.
While congratulating the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Usman, and the entire College team for their relentless efforts in bringing the first-ever NAF YOC on intelligence to fruition, the CAS noted that the DIC had become a citadel of Intelligence training and thus reputed for developing qualitative manpower in the field of Intelligence, thereby aiding commanders’ decision-making for effective conduct of operations.
He therefore urged the graduating students to bring to bear, the skills and capacity acquired during the Course in their future deployment. “As you leave the training environment, you should be guided by utmost sense of patriotism and avoid acts of misconduct that could tarnish the image and reputation of the Service”, he added.
The CAS expressed his gratitude to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, for his support to the NAF. According to him, since the inception of the current Federal Government Administration, the NAF has recorded remarkable achievements in the areas of capacity building and operations. He commended the Commandant, staff and students for ensuring a hitch-free course despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, the Commandant, DIC, Commodore Michael Oamen, while thanking the CAS for gracing the occasion as the Special Guest of Honour, stated that the 36 students, who were drawn from various NAF Units, had acquired requisite knowledge and skills that would enable them add significant value to the NAF’s intelligence operations.
