Shake up in Nigerian Airforce
…A CAS appoints new branch Chiefs, AOCs, others
…Appointment morale booster for officers — Expert
…Deployment to assist CAS to achieve vision — Adamu
By Uthman Salami and Ariemu Ogaga
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has approved the appointment of new Branch Chiefs, Air Officers Commanding (AOCs), Commandants of tri-Service and NAF institutions as well as Unit Commanders.
The Director of Public Relations & Information Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet said the appointments and postings are routine exercises intended to reinvigorate the Services for greater performance, enhanced productivity, operational efficiency, and effective service delivery.
Among the newly appointed Branch Chiefs are the former Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Ibikunle Daramola as the AOC, GTC, Enugu;
AVM Ayoola Jolasinmi, erstwhile Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Air Training Command (ATC), Kaduna who is now the Chief of Defence Policy and Plans (CDPP) at Defence Headquarters (DHQ); former Chief of Aircraft Engineering at Headquarters NAF (HQ NAF), AVM Musa Muktar moves to DHQ as Chief of Defence Transformation and Innovation, (CDTI); former AOC Logistics Command (LC), Ikeja, AVM Charles Ohwo is now the Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP), HQ NAF, Abuja; AVM Jackson Yusuf, former AOC Special Operations Command (SOC), Bauchi is now appointed Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP), HQ NAF; while AVM Abubakar Liman heads the Air Intelligence Branch as the Chief of Air Intelligence, HQ NAF. Also appointed are AVM Emmanuel Wonah, former Managing Director NAF Investments Limited (NAFIL) as Chief of Aircraft Engineering (CAcE), HQ NAF, AVM Raimi Salami is now redeployed as the Chief of Communications Information Systems (CCIS) HQ NAF, while AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya has been appointed as Chief of Logistics (CLOG), HQ NAF. Furthermore, AVM Aliyu Bello, erstwhile AOC Mobility Command (MC), Yenagoa is now the Chief of Standards and Evaluation (COSE), HQ NAF, AVM Nelson Calmday is to take over as the Chief of Administration (COA), HQ NAF and AVM Paul Jemitola is now the Air Secretary, HQ NAF.
In the same vein, former Commander 081 Pay and Accounting Group, Ikeja, AVM John Ochomma is now the Chief of Accounts and Budget (CAB), HQ NAF, AVM Idi Lubo, erstwhile AOC Tactical Air Command (TAC) proceeds to Lagos as Commandant Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (AFRC), AVM Anthony Tuwase takes over as the Commandant, Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji while former AOC Ground Training Command (GTC), Enugu, AVM Mohammed Yakubu is the new Commandant of Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna just as AVM Sayo Olatunde is now the Commandant Air Force War College (AFWC), Makurdi. The newly appointed AOCs are AVM Abraham Adole, AOC TAC, Makurdi, AVM Tajudeen Yusuf, AOC SOC, Bauchi, AVM Iboro Etukudo, AOC MC, Yenagoa, AVM Nanjul Kumzhi, AOC ATC, Kaduna, and AVM Hassan Abubakar who is now the AOC LC, Ikeja. Also appointed are AVM Emmanuel Eze as the Group Managing Director NAF Holding Company, Air Commodore Esen Efanga now the Commander Air Task Force Operation HADIN KAI while Group Captain Dogari Apyeyak is now the Air Component Commander, Operation Thunder Strike.
While congratulating the new appointees, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, charged them to continually task and explore their critical thinking mindsets towards proffering workable solutions and strategies to be deployed against the various security challenges in the Country. This, the CAS noted, is imperative particularly at this period that the NAF, in tandem with sister Services and other security agencies, are consolidating on the gains being recorded against all forms of criminality in the Country. The newly appointed and redeployed senior officers are expected to assume their new offices on or before Friday, 7 January 2022.
A Security and Public Safety Expert, Mr Patrick Agbambu has maintained that the shake up that occurred yesterday at the Nigerian Airforce would indeed breed positive and major impacts on the morales of the Force’s personel.
He noted that the shake up is a morale booster for officers.
According to him, “It will enhance productivity and challenge them to be more efficient in the discharge of their duties.”
He, however expressed that it is a routine exercise within the Armed Forces.
On his part, a security expert, the Chief Executive Officer, Beacon Security Consult, Dr. Kabiru Adamu explained that shake ups are major routine in the force.
According to him, “Shake ups like this are routine especially when there has been a change in the hierarchy of the Force. It will be necessary sometimes to let go and change the deployment of some personel just to allow for the mission and vision of the new Chief of Air Staff.
“Recall the former Chief of the Air Staff was there for a very long time and that stagnated the promotion of some of the officers and it has created a clog at the top of the hierarchy of the top officers.
“Some of the adjustments are to allow for the missions of the new Chief of the Air Staff to be achieved.
However, Adamu said that “There may be grievances here and there. But depending on the kind of adminstrative mechanism put in place by the Chief of the Air Staff, they are surely going to be addressed.
“Again, this is routine. If the shake ups and deployment are done in the manner on the basis of the inequality that are ground, whatever grievances that will follow; that is one or two persons not being happy with effect of the shake ups, the fact that it was done administratively will help address the issue.
“I don’t think there will be any major outcome in terms of backlash,” he posited.
