By KINGSLEY OMONOBI
ABUJA — Ahead of this year’s general election in April, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar, has charged officers and airmen of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, to fully exercise their fundamental democratic rights by casting their votes when the time comes but ensure that they remain non partisan.

Air Marshal Umar gave the charge even as he reminded them that “as members of the armed forces, we have a responsibility to protect our democracy and subordinate ourselves to constituted civil authorities.”

Addressing a batch of 494 graduands of the Basic Military Course 27 of 2010 in Kaduna, the CAS urged Air Force personnel to remain vigilant at all times, be good ambassadors of the NAF where ever they found themselves and cultivate harmonious relationships with civilians and personnel of other services.

He said: “One vital issue worth mentioning is your interaction with civilians. Please exercise caution in your dealings with civilians. Do not bully or intimidate them. Do not show aggression, rather, demonstrate responsibility in the manner you deal with issues. Avoid all acts capable of embarrassing the Nigeria Air Force.”

Continuing he said, “Indeed, you are coming into the Airforce at a crucial time, being an election year in the country. You must therefore ensure that you remain non partisan as you exercise your civic responsibility of casting your votes at the designated voting areas. You must also acquaint yourselves with the guide to conduct of the armed forces during elections”.

While reminding personnel that the NAF is a highly technical force that requires well trained and highly skilled manpower to maintain and operate its airplanes and associated equipment, Air Marshal Umar said, “The basic military training course was therefore aimed at re-orienting your civilian mindsets into our military regimentation and discipline required for a fighting force like the Nigerian Airforce”.

It would be recalled that 505 candidates were recruited for training in August 2010, out of which 494 came out successful after undergoing the military training at the 325 Ground Training Group (GTG) in Kaduna.