President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend in Kaduna commissioned 62 pilot officers and second lieutenants of Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 65 Regular Course comprising of 8 females and 44 male into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The President who was represented by Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar at the commissioning ceremony which held at the NAF base, Kaduna charged the newly commissioned officer cadets to embrace discipline, loyalty and hard work in the discharge of their duties.
According to him, the addition of the 62 cadets into the NAF would further strengthen the personnel need of the force in its responsibility of protecting of Nigerian territorial integrity.
He told the newly commissioned cadets to know the limits of their freedom of association and expression and not allow themselves to be used by ‘disgruntled’ elements in the society to compromise national security or to act in anyway capable of denting the good image of NAF.
He said, “You must not succumb to any inducement or acts that would cause disaffection amongst fellow members of the Armed Forces as well as protecting Nigerian Constitution while remaining absolutely loyal to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“You are graduating at a time when our dear country is grappling with security challenges especially those posed by Boko Haram and militancy in the Niger Delta. There are also emerging national security threats such as herders/farmers clashes and banditry which the government is dealing with decisively.
“You must be aware that you are expected to secure lives and property by ensuring that every Nigerian lives in peace and is free to pursue his or her legitimate aspiration,” he told the cadets including one Togolese.
“In line with the current realities, the Nigerian Air Force has reordered its priorities so as to optimise the use of available resources. I wish to also note with satisfaction that NAF has adopted measures to engender transparency and accountability and has also maximised the utilisation of equipment and resources provided by the government for optimal results.
“I therefore want to charge all of you to be prudent and do more with resources provided and to embrace the policy of zero tolerance to corruption.
President Buhari also charged the newly commissioned officer cadets to ensure good civil military relation as key in addressing some of the national security challenges.
“You must guard against over zealousness and resist the temptation to brutalise the civil populace. Your duty is to protect all Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic background or religious inclination,” he stressed.
