The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has winged it first female combat pilots.
The are Flying Officer K. O. Sanni and Flying Officer T. Arotile.
Also, 11 other pilots were also winged bringing the number of winged pilots to 101 under the leadership of Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
Marshal Abubakar also decorated the first female Air Warrant Officer (AWO), Grace Tabawa Garba, during a ceremony at the NAF headquarters, on Tuesday, in Abuja.
Marshal Abubakar, while performing the ceremony, said the 13 pilots completed their flying training abroad performed well during their training period and qualified for the award of NAF prestigious wing.
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Said he, “Today indeed marks another milestone in the history of the NAF and I am gratified to be part of it.
“I am particularly happy because out of the 13 pilots to be winged are two female Regular Combatant officers.
“Not only because they are female officers, but they are also outstanding aviators. While one of the two pilots is the first female fighter pilot in the 55 years history of the NAF, the second one is the first female combat helicopter pilot in the history of the Service.
“The first female fighter pilot trained at the United States Air Force following an excellent performance during her initial flying training course at 401 Flying Training School, in Kaduna, while the second graduated from Starlite International Training Academy.
They both performed excellently well during their training,” he said
Marshal Abubakar said his commitment to human capacity development was informed by the fact that human resource was the most important of all resources available to any leader
He continued, “It is common knowledge that of all resources available to a leader or manager, the human resource is the most important.
“This is because the human resource drives all other resources pursuant to the attainment of organisational objectives.
“It is predicated on this consideration that the NAF spares nothing at developing its human resource capital,” he added.
The CAS noted further that the desire for excellence is even more compelling in the face of current and perceived future national security challenges.
He said the Air Force has continued to invest in human capacity building, since the Service is a veritable instrument for national security.
“Today our records indicate that we have trained a total of 67 Instructor pilots since 2015. Furthermore, with the winging of these pilots today, the NAF would have winged a total of 101 pilots within the same period.
“Currently, we have 61 pilots undergoing ab-initio/basic flying training, while 50 are undergoing various forms of advanced flying training courses both locally and abroad,”
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He charged the pilots to be prepared for the arduous task ahead of you as you fit into the operational flying environment.
“I must add that the mission of a fruitful flying career has just begun and as such you must stay inspired. You must open your minds to learn and be prepared to be guided by your senior colleagues in the field,”
In her remarks, Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, commended the leadership of the NAF for training and winging of the first ever female fighter pilot as well as the first ever female combat helicopter pilot.
She said that the event attests to the laudable achievements and transformation taking place in the Nigerian Air Force.
“It also portrays the Nigerian Air Force positively as it has shown that it is an equal opportunity establishment that encourages all its personnel to achieve excellence in their career,”
Tallen expressed hope that the pilots being winged will put in their best and contribute their quota towards consolidating the success attained in the fight against current security challenges in the North East and North West as well as communal clashes, kidnapping and armed banditry.
