Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and other sister Services have agreed to subordinate themselves to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) under the leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor.
According to a statement by NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air CommodoreEdward Gabkwet, Friday the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Oladayo Amao made this known in Makurdi while on his maiden tour of Tactical Air Command (TAC).
He said this is the new line the Service Chiefs have all agreed to tow as efforts are on to bring the various security challenges to an end.
“Just as it is obtainable in military organizations worldwide, the DHQ is responsible for the command and control of the entire Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) which also means that all ongoing joint operations and Joint Task Forces are directly subordinated to the DHQ, and their commanders’ report directly to the CDS.
“When we say we are members of the AFN, we mean the 3 Services represent a single entity. When we accept the fact that we the members of the AFN constitute a united entity, the need for rivalry will not arise,” he said.
Air Marshal Amao also said his administration would revert to the military tradition of adherence to seniority and hierarchy in the appointment of officers to head command posts.
He said, “Situations where subordinate officers are given command appointments ahead of their seniors does not augur well for the system as this breeds insubordination and indiscipline”.
He added new platforms purchased for the NAF would soon arrive Makurdi urging, personnel to support the 131 Engineering Group, being the hub of some of the platforms, as well as make the foreign technicians feel at home.
He said the platforms when fully operational would be deployed immediately to the theatres of operations and would hopefully be the game changers in all DHQ led operations nationwide.
