NAF engages Katsina students, holds career day at college

The Nigeria Air Force has organised a career day for Dikko College, Katsina, in Katsina State as part of its Civil-Military Relations programme to mark its 61st anniversary nationwide.

According to the Air Force, the event was meant to create a cordial relationship between the public and the Air Force, toward eliciting information that would enable their operations.

Speaking on the significance of the initiative and the choice of the College for the career day, the Commander 2134 Operating Base Nigeria Air Force Katsina and Joint Force Air Component Commander, Operation Fansan Yamma, Sector 2, Air Commodore Ibrahim Jibia highlighted the importance of its operations which was based on public trust and engagement.

He said, “This Day is a reflection of our commitment to transparency and pride in service.

“This is part of an initiative by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, which, according to him, was to defend the sky and to defend the land and those who call it home.

“This is to be carried with pride and honour. And to also let Nigerians know that the task of the Air Force was to defend them against all the vulnerabilities we have currently.

“From the persistent operation against insecurity, the country is enjoying and realising this the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has taken it as a personal commitment to invest and spend as much as he can in the Armed Forces realising that you cannot achieve socio-economic development of you are not secured.

“He has invested so much, especially in the Nigeria Air Force, through different platforms such as training, welfare schemes, which were intensified.”

Jibia said the choice of the college that produced two former Presidents, Muhammadu Buhari and Umaru Musa Yar’adua, was based on the current challenges facing secondary school students in choosing a career, which is not unconnected with the destinies of most of them truncated as a result of uninformed career decisions.

“This government college, Katsina, now Dikko College Katsina, is a very historic school that has produced two former Nigerian presidents, Muhammadu Buhari and Umaru Musa Yar’adua, Emirs, military generals, including myself. For us to conduct this career day in Dikko College, Katsina, is also a comeback home for me, and to assess not only the infrastructural challenges but also the academic standards of the college.

“I am pleased to realise that the State Governor, Dikko Umar Radda, is doing enormous work in terms of infrastructure in the school, and I learnt that the Governor was here last week to supervise the ongoing work in the college. I believe most of the dilapidated structures here will be gone by the end of this year.

“For us, the old boys, accessing the level of education of the pupils, we have to contribute our quota in addition to what the government is doing, so we bring the brains that we really want to see and associate with in terms of academic standing that the college was known for. We will revive the lost glory of the college.

“Everybody has a part to play in the nation’s building, no matter the level of attainment. Students of this college should realise that this school has produced notable Nigerians hence they should live up to the expectation if they must remain the ambassadors of this college because what I have seen today is below expectations like I said, it is also part of our responsibilities as old boys to look back that what we benefited free of charge, we deserve to replicate it,” he added.

Source: Punch