Nigeria Acquires 12 New Aircraft , 6 Helicopter Gun-Shots To Check Insurgency

By Abdullateef Jos

Nigeria has acquired 18 new aircraft that include 12 new Super Tucano plane and six helicopter gun-shots from the United States and Italy to strengthen the fight against the insurgency.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Mashal Sadique Abubakar stated this on Saturday at the inauguration of an ultra-modern Modular Theatre at the 465 Nigeria Air Force hospital, Kano.

“ President Buhari administration has done much in re-positioning the Nigeria Air Force. In the last three and half years, the Federal Government has procured and released 18 brand new aircraft to the Nigeria Air Force, “said the Chief Of Air Staff.

He said “I assure Nigerians that the Air Force will continue to work. I am in Kano for two reasons, not only to commission this theatre but in compliance with the directive that we should relocate to North-West and to the North-East of the country in order to supervise or see what is going on in terms of dealing with some of the security threats facing Nigeria.”

While inaugurating the Modular Theatre, he said, “this hospital is for the benefit of the officers and the benefit of their family members. I also want to urge the Commander of the hospital to make this facility available to the civilian population around here.

“Furthermore, in line with the Nigeria Air Force tradition of giving back to her host community as earlier indicated, I want to direct that the Commander should open the facility to all civilians. This gesture will, no doubt, go a long way in improving the quality of healthcare delivery in these communities.

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On his part, NAF Chief of Medical Services, Air Commodore M.E. Sha’aibu said with the inauguration of the new theatre, “injured personnel from the theatre of operation in the North-East can be evacuated to this hospital, stabilized and treated.

Air Commodore Sha’aibu noted that the Modular theatre first of its kind in the country comprises of a reception, lecture hall, common and recovery rooms, offices, two operating suites.

“It is equipped with modern anaesthetic machines, operating tables, theatre lamps, C-arm machines and operating microscopes,” adding that, “The Chief of Air Staff has also provided funds for the maintenance of the equipment in the radio diagnostic department of the hospital in addition to employing seasonal consultants.”