The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar, has said that the Federal Government procured 18 new aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force from 2015 till date.
He disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Zamfara Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, in Gusau on Wednesday.
Abubakar said that government provided 30 aircraft to Nigerian Airforce since 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari became President and 18 of the aircraft were new.
He added that “apart from the 18 new aircraft, the Federal Government also reactivated the 13 old ones that were not working before.
He said, “We are also expecting new ones from the United States anytime from this moment.
“We are in Zamfara to check NAF operations: we are going to look at every aspect of airforce operations in the state, with a view to improving the capacity.
“Apart from our personnel on special forces in line with Defence Headquarters Operations, I have also directed the posting of additional NAF personnel to Zamfara.”
The Chief of Air Staff said he had also directed the immediate movement of Airforce assets from some zones to Zamfara, and expressed hope that the measures would improve the security situation in the state.
He thanked the Zamfara Government and the people for the support given to airforce personnel and solicited for additional support, especially in the area of intelligence.
Gov. Yari, who was represented by his Deputy, Mallam Ibrahim Wakkala, thanked the Chief of Air Staff for the visit and commended the NAF operations in the state.
He said, “we recognise your efforts, especially in the protection of lives and property but we are calling on you to do more.
“We commend your efforts in fighting insurgency in the northeast, we are hoping that you would do same here in Zamfara.
“On behalf of my governor, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari, I assure you of the state government’s readiness to support security agencies to ensure effective protection of lives and property.”