NAF Raises Feeding Fees, Introduces Accident Policy for Personnel

The Nigerian Air Force has made a significant move to enhance the welfare of its students by increasing the feeding fees in its schools from N500 to N1,500 per meal.

This decision, announced by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Hasan, on Saturday, is designed to ensure that children in NAF schools are adequately nourished and healthy enough to learn and develop into strong, mentally sound individuals.

NAF Secretary, AVM Ahmed Bakari, confirmed this on Saturday during the CAS parley with veterans at the Logistics Command, NAF, in Lagos State.

He explained that the CAS had generously raised the feeding fees.

“He has also announced that priority would now be given to personnel and veterans before considering civilians for admission into Air Force schools.

“Some of us have been complaining that we have a lot of civilians in our schools but henceforth, priority is to personnel and veterans first, before considering others,” Bakari stated.

Along with the increase in feeding fees, the NAF has also launched an accident policy to support injured personnel during their service.

According to Bakari, the policy has already disbursed its initial payment, with some personnel receiving up to N5 million in benefits for their injuries.

“Though, we know that this may not be totally sufficient but what is being sought is to see that they don’t suffer unnecessarily when injured.

“At least, some form of succour comes immediately as an intervention from the service to any personnel who sustains an injury while in service,” he remarked.

Bakari further noted that the NAF had also upgraded its airfields, equipping some of them with modern tools to allow for 24-hour flying operations.

For example, he pointed out that the airfield in Kaduna now has an Integrated Management System (IMS) and functional runway lights.

Bakari emphasized: “The CAS believes we do not have any business giving excuse for a particular airfield not being operational at a particular time of the day.”

“NAF has also taken delivery of 12 brand new platforms in the past 18 months, which have been injected into the war effort,” he added.

“The delivery of these platforms was made possible through the vision of the CAS and the support of President Bola Tinubu,” he explained.

He further mentioned that the NAF is set to receive 50 more platforms, including fighter planes, transport planes, and helicopters, between 2025 and 2026.

He concluded, “We are sure that with the injection of these platforms, we will see more improvement in the fight against terrorism, insurgency, banditry and all forms of criminality.”

The NAF has also initiated a predictive maintenance program for its aircraft, which has begun showing positive results.

Bakari highlighted the establishment of the Air Power Centre of Excellence, where all matters concerning airpower would be studied, as another major advancement.

“The Air Power Centre of Excellence is supposed to be that melting point for serving officers and retired officers and men to bring their expertise and knowledge to bear,” he concluded.