ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has redeployed 66 senior officers comprising of 22 Air Vice Marshals (AVM), 34 Air Commodores (Air Cdre), seven Group Captains (Gp Capt) and three Wing Commanders (Wg Cdr).
The Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), NAF, Group Capt Ayodele Famuyi, in a statement issued on Thursday listed those affected by the new deployment include two Branch Chiefs, two Air Officers Commanding (AOCs) and one Commandant.
Famuyiwa also announced the newly appointed Branch Chiefs as AVM Adebola Jekennu, formerly the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at the Tactical Air Command Makurdi, now the Chief of Administration (COA) at the Headquarters Nigerian Air Force (HQ NAF); and Air Cdre Clement Ogbeche who is now the Chief of Accounts and Budget, HQ NAF.
The new AOCs are AVMs Emmanuel Akogu and Emmanuel Agwungwu who now head the Mobility Command, Yenagoa; and Tactical Air Command Makurdi respectively. Until his appointment AVM Emmanuel Akogu was the Director of Evaluation at HQ NAF while AVM Emmanuel Agwungwu was the Director of Training, HQ NAF.
In the same vein, AVM Christopher Gudi, the former Director of Air Traffic Services at HQ NAF now replaces AVM Mike Iloenyosi as the Commandant, Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi.
Furthermore, AVM Lawal Alao has been moved from the Defence Headquarters, where he was the Chief of Defence Communication, to head the Nigerian Air Force Holding Company (NAFHC) as the Group Managing Director.
Others affected by the new deployment include AVM Isiaka Amao formerly the Deputy Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole and now the Director of Policy at HQ NAF; the former Commander Nigerian Air Defence Corps (NADC), AVM Bernard Chiobi now the Chairman Air Expo & International Liaison Secretariat; AVM Bashir Saidu, former Director of Policy at HQ NAF now moved to DHQ as the Chief of Policy and Plans; AVM Muktar Magaji now redeployed as Chief of Defence Communication at DHQ.
Furthermore, AVM Emmanuel Anebi has been moved from Training Command to DHQ as Director of Production while AVM Ibrahim Umaru moves to DHQ as the Director of Space Operations. Likewise, AVM Charles Otegbade, formerly the Director of Search and Rescue at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) moves to HQ NAF as the Director of Air Traffic Services.
The rest include AVM Olusoji Awomodu now Director Research and Development at DHQ; AVM Okechukwu Ntukogu (Director of Personnel Services at DHQ), AVM Sani Ahmed (Director of Plans, HQ NAF); AVM Stephen Onuh (Director of Evaluation, HQ NAF); Kingsley Lar (Coordinator Project Implementation and Monitoring Team, HQ NAF); AVM Christian Dii (Director of NAF Transformation); AVM Humphrey Okpala (Director of Museum & Achieve); AVM John Baba (Director of Training, HQ NAF); AVM Isyaka Bukar (Director of Air Engineering, HQ NAF) and Mohammed Muhammad (Director of Legal Services, HQ NAF).
The DOPRI noted that recent deployment, as a routine exercise, is aimed at ensuring that the NAF is effectively manned for operational efficiency and effectiveness in line with the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar.
