Outgoing Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar| credits:
The outgoing Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar, has called for increased budgetary provision for the service in view of its constitutional responsibility of curbing the new security challenges in the country.
Umar said that the Air Force would be able to play its sensitive security responsibility of defending the nation against external aggression and participate effectively in maintaining internal security only with adequate budgetary allocations.
The former CAF urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to continue to give the necessary support to the service through adequate budgetary appropriation to the Air Force, which he described as the part of the Armed Forces driven by high technology.
The outgoing Air Force chief made the appeal while delivering a valedictory address at the flying-out parade organised for him at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Abuja, on Friday.
Umar, who said that the Air Force was invaluable in the face of the emergent security situation in the society, added that air power could be used to ward off external aggression, promotion of security and providing necessary support to the people in the current security situation.
He said, “On the other hand, full dimension protection would ensure that the NAF develops capacity to engage both home-grown and foreign aggressions. It is my opinion that any roadmap for improved capacity building, efficiency and effectiveness for the Nigerian Air Force cannot be achieved without budgetary appropriation.
“I therefore humbly appeal to the Federal Government and the members of the National Assembly to continue to assist, support and ensure increased funding for the Nigerian Air Force as a high tech component of our Armed Forces.”
Umar lamented that NAF, which got to its peak in the 1980s with the establishment of its training School in Kaduna and Kano and other units of service, was retarded due to inadequate funding under the military.
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Source : punchng[dot]com
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