By Lengnan Tobias
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, says the 2026 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) music workshop is timely and forward-looking in repositioning military music beyond ceremonial duties.
Aneke represented by the Director of Administration, Air Commodore Raphael Ojo, said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening of the 2026 Nigerian Air Force Music Personnel Workshop.
The workshop has as theme ”Beyond Ceremonial Duties: Harnessing the Nigerian Air Force Band’s Strategic Communication Capability in Support of NAF Operations”.
He said the theme challenged personnel to look beyond established tradition and explore how the professional capabilities of the band could contribute more deliberately to institutional communication, public engagement and operational effectiveness.
He said military music had long served as an expression of discipline, tradition, unity and national identity.
”Within the Nigerian Air Force, the band has continued to perform important ceremonial functions at official parades, state occasions, military celebrations and other significant events.
”However, the contemporary security environment requires us to recognise that the value of military music extends beyond ceremonial performances,” he said.
The CAS noted that music remained a powerful communication medium capable of connecting institutions with people, communicating shared values, strengthening morale and promoting mutual understanding.
He said the workshop provided an important opportunity to reposition the understanding of military music and its place in contemporary military service.
According to him, there is considerable opportunity for the NAF band to contribute to strategic communication and public engagement through carefully planned musical productions, public performances and approved digital content.
He added that community performances, youth engagement and cultural exchanges could create meaningful connections between the NAF and the public, in line with civil-military relations and national integration aspirations.
”Music can be used to complement existing welfare initiatives and contribute to a positive professional environment.
”Furthermore, the appropriate use of digital platforms, professional recording and contemporary content production techniques can extend the reach of the NAF music beyond physical events.
”Such efforts must however, comply with operational security, information security, copyright requirements and approved media protocols,” he said.
Aneke further said that the band could serve as more than a ceremonial institution, noting that realising the vision required deliberate capacity building.
In his remarks, the Director of Music, NAF, Group Capt. Ayo Ayanbode, said the air force operated in an increasingly complex security environment where effectiveness was no longer determined solely by platforms, weapon systems and manpower.
Ayanbode said the ability to communicate effectively, build trust, shape perceptions and strengthen civil-military relations had become an indispensable component of operational effectiveness.
He said the theme of the workshop aligned with one of the key drivers of the CAS command philosophy of ”Standardised Training and Mission-Focused Capability Development”.(NAN)
Edited by Deborah Coker
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