Shakeup in Nigeria Air Force as branch chiefs are redeployed

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced the appointment of new Branch Chiefs, Air Officers Commanding (AOCs), Commandants of tri-Service and NAF institutions as well as Unit Commanders and other senior officers to reinvigorate the Services for enhanced productivity and operational efficiency.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, approval of the appointment was made known yesterday in a press statement signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore, Edward Gabkwet.

The newly appointed Branch Chiefs are Air Vice Marshal (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.

Others are, 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, while the former Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Ibikunle Daramola is now the AOC, GTC, Enugu 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.

The newly appointed and redeployed senior officers are expected to assume their new offices on or before January 7, 2022.

The Chief of Air Staff, said postings and redeployments in the military are routine exercises intended to reinvigorate the Services for greater performance, enhanced productivity, operational efficiency, and effective service delivery.

While congratulating the new appointees, the CAS 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.

The CAS noted that this 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.