NAF Injects 1,296 New Personnel To Strengthen National Security
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has injected 1,296 recruits into the service as part of efforts to strengthen its manpower needs anc strengthen national security.
The 1,296 recruits, who passed out today in Kaduna, are members of the Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) 45 of 2025.
Reviewing the parade, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, described the event as “a defining milestone for both the graduates and the Service,” emphasising that the operational effectiveness of the NAF is fundamentally anchored on the quality, discipline, and professionalism of its personnel.
The CAS stated that the successful completion of the six-month training programme aligns with his Command Philosophy of enhancing and sustaining a highly motivated, professional, and mission-ready force capable of delivering decisive airpower effects in synergy with surface forces for the realisation of national security objectives.
He noted that the graduation reflects the NAF’s deliberate and pragmatic efforts to build capable manpower in fulfilment of its constitutional mandate, particularly in support of ongoing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations nationwide.
Aneke described the Military Training Centre as the cradle of military excellence in the NAF, and a critical driver of standardised training and mission-focused capability development.
The CAS commended the Commandant, instructors, and staff, as well as the Air Officer Commanding Ground Training Command, Air Vice Marshal Shinkafi, for maintaining high standards.
Addressing the graduates, Air Marshal Aneke noted that the physically and mentally demanding training was intentionally designed to prepare them for the realities of military service amid complex security challenges such as terrorism, banditry, and other asymmetric threats.
He therefore charged the new airmen and airwomen to uphold discipline, teamwork, professionalism, and respect for constituted authority, assuring them of NAF’s continued investment in training and welfare.
The CAS thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his sustained support, and appreciated the Kaduna State Government and other stakeholders.
Highlights of the ceremony included a precision parade, presentation of awards to outstanding recruits, and the emergence of C-130 Squadron as the Champion Squadron.
