The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will soon establish a permanent presence in Abia State.
This was revealed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Abubakar when he met with Governor Alex Otti at his country home at Mvosi, in Isiala on Friday , 7 June 2024.
According to Air Marshal Abubakar, NAF presence in Abia State would not only bolster security of the airspace but also provide invaluable support in emergency response, disaster management and community development initiatives.
He also expressed NAF’s willingness to take advantage of the opportunity to further extend its reach in the employment of air power in response to national security imperatives, especially in Abia State and the Southeast Region.
While expressing sadness over the unfortunate incident that led to the loss of lives of soldiers and disruption of livelihood at Obikabia Junction of Obingwa Local Government Area in May 2024, Air Marshal Abubakar however assured that those behind the dastardly act will soon be brought to justice.
Speaking further, the CAS applauded Governor Otti’s dedication to public service and commitment to the betterment of Abia State.
According to him, “We admire your governance style which is people-oriented and centred on the judicious management of public resources in order to improve the living standard of Abians.
“The pathway you have chosen for your people is that of sustainable growth, development and prosperity.”
In his response, Governor Otti noted that the establishment of a NAF Base in Abia State could not have been more timely as the Federal Government recently approved the construction of an air strip in the State.
The large expanse of land earmarked for the air strip, according to the Governor, is large enough to accommodate a NAF Base, which his government would be glad to allocate to the NAF.
promised that the state government would provide land for them to site their operations.
He added that operational vehicles, official residence and other logistics required for the takeoff would be equally provided by the state government.
Governor Otti expressed optimism that the establishment of an Air Force base would be realised in the state to further enhance the security of lives and property of citizens.
“We will give you a temporary site in Umuahia and we will also provide residences for your men, vehicles for them to move around and any other things that they require, so I believe that we can achieve this in the next one to two months,” Otti assured.
Otti further assured that the killers of Nigerian soldiers would be apprehended by his administration.
