Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has expressed appreciation and gratitude to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the entire Armed Forces of Nigeria for their sacrifices and efforts at checkmating all forms of criminality in the country.
A statement by NAF spokesperson Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet Monday said the governor spoke at the Agodi Government House Ibadan, when the Chief of the Air Staff(CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, paid him a courtesy call and at the 58-hectares cleared site for the ground-breaking ceremony for the permanent site of the new NAF base, in Ibadan.
While receiving the CAS at the Government House Agodi, the Governor stated, “I will always say that our security agencies often perform a thankless job. No one remembers them when there is peace, but people begin to ask what they were doing once there is a breach. So let me say thank you”.
Similarly, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new NAF base, situated at Ajia community, Ibadan presided by Governor Makinde and Air Marshal Amao, the governor went on to state that the new NAF base was part of his overall vision to engineer a modern Oyo state, just as he appealed to the good people of the community to be accommodating hosts and support the state’s plans to bring rapid development to the area.
Governor Makinde also said the new NAF Base was not just an infrastructural project, but part of a plan for a robust security architecture for the state.
“When completed, this new Base will improve the operational reach of the NAF in Oyo state and enhance crisis response time. Oyo state will also have the bragging rights of hosting the permanent site of one of Nigeria’s Air Force Bases”, he said.
In his remarks, Air Marshal Amao stated that the initiative will provide a befitting environment for the Unit to better perform its security mandate within the state bearing in mind that security is a veritable catalyst for development and there can be no development without security.
“With the establishment of this new Base in Ibadan, the NAF would be able to extend her operational reach to enhance internal security operations in the South-West region. Currently, the high density of air traffic operating daily from Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja inhibits military conduct of air operations in the region.
“This new base will therefore serve as a suitable alternative to Lagos airfield for the Nigerian Air Force to launch air operations in the Region seamlessly and more efficiently”, he said.