By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, says the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has adopted measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, which have significantly exacerbated the various security challenges in the country.

Abubakar said this on Tuesday, while delivering a lecture, via zoom, to participants of the Senior Executive Course 45 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos.

This is contained in a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, in Abuja.

The title of the lecture is, “Industrialisation, Energy, Security and Climate Change: The Role of the Nigerian Air Force”.

The CAS said that even though climate change was not directly responsible for conflicts, it had substantially compounded existing causal agents of conflicts.

He said that the conflicts had subsequently reduce people’s ability to cope thereby creating further conflicts.

“For instance, irregular and extreme weather at Lake Chad is destroying the profitability of traditional fishing and farming, thus reducing the economic prospects of young men in the area thereby making them more susceptible to recruitment by violent extremists.

“The consequence is its negative impact on national security leading to humanitarian crises, terrorism and insurgency,” he said.

Abubakar said that NAF’s kinetic and disaster relief operations as well as green practices and technologies were adopted to mitigate the effects of climate change on national security.

He said that the NAF had continued to create favourable ground situations for surface forces to operate and recover lost territories from terrorists and insurgents through its kinetic operations.

According to him, kinetic efforts have also contributed to degrading the fighting will and capabilities of terrorists, insurgents, bandits, kidnappers and oil thieves thereby creating a safer and more secure environment for economic and industrial activities to thrive.

The air chief said that the NAF had also made deliberate efforts to integrate climate change considerations into its operations and planning.

These, he said, led to NAF participation in the 2021 Global Air Forces on Climate Change organized by the Royal Air Force, United Kingdom.

Abubakar added that the NAF was exploring converting existing vehicle fleets to using zero or low-carbon emission fuels such as compressed natural gas and liquid petroleum gas.

He said that the air force had implemented some projects to improve its environmental performance and reduce its carbon footprint such as installation of solar panels and recycling of wastes as well as enforcement of tree planting in all its units across the country.

“The NAF has established solar panel-based micro grids in the Headquarters and remote bases and installations to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

“The implementation of the innovative paperless system at NAF Headquarters in May 2023, which has conserved about 300 cartons of paper since initiation, is also worthy of note,” the CAS said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Nigerian Army absolved self from allegation of confiscation of community land for a proposed civil-military intervention project in Orolu Community in Osun.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig -Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Nwachukwu said that one Chief Babatunde Oyetunji, Eesa of Ifon, had in a statement alleged that the Nigerian Army had decided to forcefully acquire land for a proposed project in Orolu Community.

He said the allegations were entirely false, malicious and an effort by some vested interests to tarnish the good reputation of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and drag the name of the institution in the mud.

“The fact of the matter is that one of the lines of operations of the Nigerian army in tackling  security challenges in the country is the Non-kinetic line of operations.

“It is a soft approach, aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the public through the instrumentality of Civil-Military Cooperation activities or programmes of the Nigerian Army.

“This effort, is fundamentally geared towards fostering cooperation and galvanising support of the civil populace for army’s diverse operations  to mitigate security challenges across the country.

Hence, the Nigerian army usually executes special community intervention projects, such as hospitals, boreholes,  electrification amongst others based on needs assessment, after consultations with the leadership of such communities, at the behest of senior officers, who hail from the benefiting community,” he said.

In this particular case, Nwachukwu said that a retired senior officer conceptualised an intervention project; a medical centre in the state.

He said the proposal had not even been formally forwarded to the Chief of Army staff for approval, adding that the Department of Civil-Military Affairs at the Army Headquarters was yet to receive requisite information to enable it initiate a comprehensive proposal for the project.

He explained that the army would not have in any way known which land belongs to who, since it was not yet involved in the process.

According to him, it is only when and if the request of the retired senior officer is forwarded to the Chief of Army Staff and is approved, that the Army can send a team to carry out due diligence on the project site and carry along all stakeholders in the process.

“Surprisingly, if the said project for which the COAS  and the Nigerian army are being maligned sails through and is approved, it is a project that will benefit the civil populace and serve humanity, irrespective of  community affiliation.

“The Nigerian Army hereby absolves itself of any involvement in an attempt to confiscate any community land.

“The Nigerian Army is a professional and law abiding institution that has always followed due process in all her intervention projects, so far undertaken.

“Therefore, members of the public are enjoined to discountenance the allegations and continue to support the Nigerian Army and its Kinetic and None kinetic operations across the country,” Nwachukwu said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Sadiya Hamza