Lauds Air Force for having 40% women representation in its exposition
President Goodluck Jonathan has commended security agencies for their significant achievements in checkmating terrorism and other anti-state activities.
He made this known on Tuesday at the second Nigeria Air Exposition 2012, themed ‘Air Force in Nation Building’, put together by the Nigerian Air Force in Kaduna.
“Our nation is today faced with sundry security and development challenges. Effectively confronting and overcoming these challenges calls for the unwavering patriotic commitment of all stakeholders in the Nigerian enterprise to those ideals that will not only build bridges of harmony, but also unleash the great human and natural resource endowment which Nigeria is immensely blessed with,” Jonathan said.
“As we vigorously prosecute our Administration’s national transformation agenda, I expect that members of our Armed services will continue to partner with us in the military tradition of courage, loyalty, dedication, and steadfast patriotism as we strive to re-position Nigeria for accelerated growth and development.
“We are convinced that a strong, modern and proactive military is pivotal to the attainment of the goals of the transformation agenda. It is against this backdrop that the 2012 National budget gave priority consideration to the enhancement of the operational readiness of our Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies.
The President also commended the Air Force in particular for having 40 percent representation of women in the biannual event, including the only female para-trooper at Tuesday’s event.
The air show, which was fashioned after Fanborough and Paris air shows in the United Kingdom (UK) and France, was held amidst tight security, with foreign ministers of defence and chiefs of defence staff of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in attendance.
The five-day event is also being held to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Nigerian Air Force.
In his remarks, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar, said the significance of this year’s Air Expo was anchored on the need to seek innovative solutions to security challenges by seeking every available knowledge that would facilitate securing the nation’s territorial integrity from the air.
He said the Nigerian Air Force had, within the constraints of available resources, continued to discharge its responsibility to the nation through its contribution to maintenance of internal security by employment of Air power, either singly or in concert with other arms of the Military or security services
The Minister of Defence, Bello Mohammed, noted that there was a huge market potential in the growing aviation industry, not only in Nigeria but in the ECOWAS sub-region and indeed the African continent in the years ahead.
The expo featured military parades and the exhibition of air weapons and ancillary equipment. It also featured the exhibition of military and ancillary equipment by participating defence sector companies within and outside Nigeria.
The event had static and aerial displays of aircraft and continues till Saturday with workshops and seminars.
