The Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Air Training Command (ATC) Air Vice Marshal MA Kumzhi recently paid a courtesy call on the Commandant Air Force Institute of Technology, Air Vice Marshal MA Yakubu. He said the purpose of the visit was to familiarize himself with the Institute as the AOC and to further cement the existing relationship between the Command and the Institute.
He recalled his days as an aircraft engineering student at the then 320 TTG between 1994 and 1996 before proceeding to flying. Consequently, he said that he came to pay homage to his senior colleague and leverage on the existing relationship especially in the area of insecurity around the Base.
In his welcome remarks, the Commandant AVM MA Yakubu said that he was honoured to receive the AOC as his first guest since assumption of office. He also apologized for the inability to give him a befitting welcome via the quota guard and stated that subsequently, the Institute will work on getting one other than depending on the 435 BSG.
AVM Yakubu also said that AFIT is one of the first points of defence considering that it is located at the extreme of the Base. He noted that the Institute is situated in a position where it is being surrounded by other vulnerable rural communities which also makes the Institute vulnerable to attacks. Hence he appealed to the AOC to support the Institute by building trenches and having the Force Protection Group dominate the environs.
Once again the Commandant congratulated the AOC and emphasized the need for alertness and being proactive so as to avoid breach of insecurity around the Base and the Institute in particular. According to him, the HQ NAF is working towards building a fence round the perimeter of the Institute.
In the same vein, the provost of the Institute Professor Mohammed Dauda welcomed the AOC and also mentioned that he has automatically become a member of the AFIT Governing Council by virtue of his position as the AOC ATC while looking forward to having him subsequently in the upcoming meetings.
Highlights of the visit were signing of the visitors note, presentation of AFIT plaque to the AOC and group photograph.