The Nigerian Air Force Air War College (NAFAWC) has graduated its second set of participants of Air War Course. The graduation took place at a ceremony held on the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Makurdi, Benue State.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya disclosed in a statement on Saturday that the Air War Course 2/2017 consisted of 19 senior military officers out of whom 16 were from the NAF, one from the Nigerian Army and two from the Nigerian Navy.

The Course, which was inaugurated on June 16, 2017, he said, groomed the participants in airpower education and its application, while preparing them to lead in the strategic environment with emphasis on the employment of airpower in both joint and independent operations.

During the ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Chief of Training and Operations, Air Vice Marshal Nurudeen Balogun congratulated the participants on the successful completion of the course. He urged them to bring to bear, the skills and lessons acquired during the course with utmost sense of patriotism.

The Air Chief disclosed that NAF had improved, expanded and upgraded the facilities in the College to the standards obtainable in similar Air War Colleges worldwide to aid teaching and learning. Accordingly, “NAF will continue to do its best within the limits of available resources to provide the needed support for realistic and result oriented training,” he said.

While enumerating the achievements under his administration,Marshal Abubakarstated that the NAF would continue to place premium on capacity building as well as effective and efficient service delivery.

He expressed his belief that the purpose for which the College was established would begin to have the desired level of impact on the service in the very near future.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commandant of the College, Air Vice Marshal James Baba said that the graduation of the second set of participants was an attestation to the rationale behind the establishment of the College.

The Commandant added that the feedback being received by the College on the performance of its pioneer graduands was pleasing, as they were in line with the College’s set objectives.

The highlight of the graduation ceremony was the conferment of the Fellow of Air War College on the participants by the Commandant.

The participants that distinguished themselves during the Course were also given special awards, in order of merit. In that wise, Group Captain Ehimen Ejodame bagged the Best All Round Award, while Group Captain Nasiru Saidu won the CAS Award with Group Captain Emeng Imoke carting away the Commandant’s Award.

The attendance of Air War Course 2 by participants from the Army and the Navy was in keeping with the tradition from when the NAFAWC was established towards deepening the collaboration between the three arms of services in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, arrangements are already in top gear towards nominating participants for Air War Course 3, scheduled to commence shortly.