Free Medical Services To IDPs By Nigerian Air Force and United States Air Force Command Comes To An End

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Honourable Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni, reiterated the need for combined training and common doctrines by armed forces of African countries to tackle the menace of terrorism and other security challenges on the continent. While expressing gratitude to the United States Government for her untiring support towards capacity building initiatives in the NAF, the Honourable Minister expressed his belief that the training programme would help reduce the problem of integration of human and material resources from different operational backgrounds.

In his remarks, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, represented by the Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal IJ Yahaya, noted that the African Partnership Flight was designed to build strong and transparent partnerships that would foster regional stability and security through formal alliances, partnerships and exchange of ideas among African air forces. The Conference, with the theme “Aeromedical Evacuation and Medical Deployment”, concentrated on capacity building of the aircrew and medical personnel who would be involved from time to time in humanitarian and aeromedical evacuation operations.

In his remarks, the representative of the United States Team, Major General Baldwin, noted that the programme was very important to developing the critical capability of the participants to take care of casualties adding that the role of the military globally was more than securing the country. The Conference, which was jointly organised by the United States Air Force in Europe and the NAF, brought together participants from Benin, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria as well as facilitators from the United States of America.

DOPRI/NAF