The Passing Out Parade for 106 officer cadets of the Direct Short Service Commission (DSCC) Course 26 held yesterday at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base Kaduna after 24 weeks of rigorous and intensive military training at the NAF’s Military Training Centre (MTC). The successful completion of the training of the DSSC 26 cadets is another step in the right direction by the current NAF leadership to sustain its human capacity building initiatives while also increasing the NAF’s manpower situation to meet the nation’s security challenges. Speaking during the colourful passing out parade, the Reviewing Officer, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin congratulated the newly commissioned officers and charged them to let integrity, service and excellence guide their thoughts and actions as they begin their careers in the NAF.
The CDS stated that while a lot had been achieved in degrading the capacity and capability of insurgents and terrorists, much more needed to be done to achieve the level of peace and security desired for the Nigerian people. He therefore charged the passing out cadets to be ready to exhibit courage, compassion and wisdom in leading the personnel that would be placed in their charge while tackling the nation’s numerous security challenges. According to the CDS, their commissioning as officers in the NAF was a mark of the confidence reposed in them by the Nigerian people and as such, they must at all times subordinate themselves to constituted civil authority and protect democracy. “You should be apolitical, vigilant and refrain from acts or utterances capable of putting the armed forces in disrepute”, he said. “Military service is by no means an avenue meant solely for the purpose of earning a living wage and putting food on the table. There will be times of hardship, separation from loved ones and demand to give a lot from a little. Therefore, your dedication and patriotism will be vital moral compasses to guide you in navigating through such difficult and complex times,” the CDS reiterated.
Highlights of today’s occasion included the presentation of awards to deserving passing out cadets after the colourful parade. Among the award-winning cadets was Cadet IL Amaso, a female who won the President and Commander-in-Chief’s Award for coming first in order of merit. The other award winners were Cadet BU Okafor, who won the Minister of Defence Award for emerging second in order of merit among the passing out cadets and Cadet A Hamman, who won the Chief of Defence Staff Award for coming third. Furthermore, Cadet FA Ogar won the Chief of the Air Staff’s Award for demonstrating exceptional skills in practical field exercises such as range classifications, sports and obstacle crossing. All the awardees were adjudged to have outstanding personal qualities.
After the parade, the passing out cadets were conferred with the Presidential Commission into the NAF and immediately decorated with their new ranks of Flying Officer by their relatives, friends and well-wishers, as the case might be. The CDS thereafter presented parchments of commission to the newly commissioned officers following which he administered the oath of allegiance on them.
It would be recalled that only recently, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, graduated 1,928 recruits as part of the efforts to increase manpower availability in the NAF.
DOPRI
