Nigerian Air Force announces major shake-up, redeploys senior officers

The Chief of Air Staff, Isiaka Amao, has approved the redeployment of some senior officers of the Force.

Mr Amao, an air vice-marshal, also approved the appointment of a new spokesperson for the Force. He is Edward Gabwet, an air commodore.

Mr Gabkwet replaces Ibikunle Daramola who has been appointed as director of plans in the Air Force headquarters.

This was disclosed in a statement by Mr Daramola on Friday.

The statement also said many of Air Force’s branches nationwide were rejigged.

The shakeup is coming about one month after the appointment of Mr Amao as the new air force chief.

The statement said the exercise was aimed at “reinvigorating operational effectiveness and enhancing service delivery.”

It also said the newly-appointed and redeployed senior officers are expected to take over their new offices not later than March 11.

Read the full statement:

NIGERIAN AIR FORCE APPOINTS NEW BRANCH CHIEFS, AIR OFFICERS COMMANDING, SPOKESPERSON, OTHERS

As part of routine exercise aimed at re-invigorating operational effectiveness and enhancing service delivery, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has appointed new Branch Chiefs, Air Officers Commanding (AOCs), Commandants of Tri-Service Institutions and other functionaries, including a new Spokesperson.

The newly appointed Branch Chiefs are Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Dahiru Sanda, who is now the Chief of Defence Policy and Plans (CDPP), Defence Headquarters (DHQ), AVM Remigus Ekeh, erstwhile Chief of Standards and Evaluation Headquarters NAF (HQ NAF), who is now appointed Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP), HQ NAF, former AOC Mobility Command (MC), Yenagoa, AVM Ibukun Ojeyemi, is now appointed as the Chief of Air Intelligence (CAI), HQ NAF, while AVM Mahmud Madi has been appointed as the Air Secretary, HQ NAF.

Also affected by the new appointments are AVM Mahmoud Ahmed, who is now the Chief of Defence Transformation and Innovation (CDTI), DHQ, AVM Cletus Udeagulu is now the Chief of Communication Information Systems (CCIS), HQ NAF while AVM Isah Muhammad is appointed Chief of Administration, (COA), HQ NAF. AVM Pam Chollom has been appointed as the Chief of Logistics (CLOG), HQ NAF, while the former AOC, Air Training Command (ATC), Kaduna, AVM Musa Mukhtar has been moved to HQ NAF as the Chief of Aircraft Engineering (CAcE).

The immediate past AOC, Tactical Air Command (TAC), Makurdi, AVM Olusegun Philip is now Chief of Standards and Evaluation (COSE), HQ NAF.

In the same vein, the erstwhile COPP, HQ NAF, AVM Mohammed Idris has been appointed Commandant, Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi, the former Director of Plans, HQ NAF, AVM Ebenezer Alade, has been appointed Commandant, Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, AVM Musibau Olatunji, erstwhile CAcE, now appointed as the Commandant Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna, while AVM Ibrahim Ali now takes over as the Commandant Air Force War College (AFWC), Makurdi. AVM Idi Lubo, former Director of Policy, has been appointed AOC TAC, Makurdi.

AVM Jackson Yusuf is now the AOC ATC, Kaduna, AVM Aliyu Bello is now the AOC MC, Yenagoa while AVM Sunday Makinde, former College Secretary, National Defence College (NDC), is now the AOC, Logistics Command (LC), Ikeja. AVM Frank Oparah is appointed as the AOC Ground Training Command, Enugu while AVM Peter Uzezi is now the Director General, Defence Research and Development Bureau, DHQ

Former Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), AVM Ibikunle Daramola has been appointed as the Director of Plans, HQ NAF. AVM Garba Abubakar is appointed as the new Group Managing Director, NAF Holding Company, AVM Emmanuel Wonah as the Coordinator Project Implementation Monitoring Team, HQ NAF while former Commandant, AFCSC, AVM Abubakar Liman, is now the Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

AVM Mfon Ekpoh has been redeployed to the Nigerian Defence Academy as Deputy Commandant while AVM Emmanuel Chukwu has been appointed as the College Secretary, NDC.

Furthermore, AVM Abraham Adole is appointed as the Deputy Theatre Commander, Operation LAFIYA DOLE (OPLD) while Air Commodore (Air Cdre) Nnamdi Ananaba, takes over as the Air Component Commander OPLD. Also, Air Cdre Dauda Prayero has been appointed as the new Chairman Air Expo and International Liaison Secretariat while Air Cdre Olabode Babalola takes over as the Chief of Medical Services (CMS), HQ NAF. Air Cdre Edward Gabkwet has been appointed as the new NAF Spokesperson.

The newly appointed and redeployed senior officers are expected to take over their new offices not later than Thursday, 11 March 2021.

IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA

Air Vice Marshal

Director of Public Relations & Information

5 March 2021.