Some veterans of the Nigerian Air Force have hailed the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, for parleying with them.
The veterans who seized the occasion to reassure the Air Force boss that they were not tired as they are still committed to supporting the country, emphasised that aside security they were equally committed to helping the country attain food security with the needed support of the government.
The retired soldiers stressed the need for the Chief of Air Force to enter into communication with the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security on how they can benefit from the Federal Government’s policies.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that the maiden veterans parley/second edition of Base Annual Socio-cultural Activities 2024 held at the NAF base Lawanti, Gombe, organised by the 109 Combat Reconnaissance Group Nigerian Air Force Gombe.
While commending the Chief of Air Staff for participating in the event, Master Warrant Officer Bagudu retd.,
stated that the forum is an enabler to support existing officers and veterans.
Bagudu stressed, “My advice to Chief is that he should continue with this noble initiative and implement the counsels will give to him. He should work with it to make the system better,” he added.
While urging for the needed support towards ensuring food security, Bagudu added, “If the ministry will support some of us in getting the needed support to boost agriculture through soft loans on commodities and we pay gradually it will go a long way.”
Speaking earlier during the parley, AVM Ahmed Mu’azu retd., expressed optimism about the collaboration existing between retired and service men, and urged the authorities to sustain it, even as he pointed out that, “It will greatly improve security between serving personnel and it will run off on the total security. They should get committed and serve,” he said.
Wing Commander Maxine Mokelu, noted that this year’s BASA is the second edition of such an event by the NAF in Gombe State, further remarked, “earlier on today, we had the honour of hosting a maiden edition of the Chief of the Air Staff’s Parley with NAF Veterans The Chief of the Air Staff’s Parley with NAF Veterans is an initiative of the current NAF administration aimed at fostering deeper connections between NAF personnel and our esteemed NAF veterans.”
According to him, “the parley provided a platform to engage with living heroes and appreciate their invaluable contributions while also serving as an opportunity for further interactions in the diverse areas discussed during that event.
“Now to this second event of the day, the BASA, which is an annual tradition deeply rooted in military culture, draws its origins from the West African Social Activities (WASA) of the colonial era, It was initially introduced to celebrate cultural diversity and foster unity among soldiers. Till date, BASA remains a vibrant annual event that allows personnel and their families to relax, celebrate achievements and strengthen bonds in a festive atmosphere, particularly laying emphasis on Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity,” Mokelu informed the gathering.
He said, “The government’s efforts in providing infrastructures will be extended to this community. We are all aware of all that this administration has been doing, especially regarding developmental projects, and in no distant time, you will feel the impact of the state.
“At this juncture, We wish to assure everybody here that the state is committed to providing security to cover the whole state in this new year and beyond.”
The Gombe State Governor praised Mokelu for his visionary leadership to his men and officers at the base.
“I congratulate the commander 109 Combat Reconnaissance Group who has been doing a good job, especially in providing support in the security structure of the state,” Yahaya said.
