AVM ADEMUWAGUN TAKES OVER AS THE 14TH COMMANDANT OF THE AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
History was made today, 3rd November, 2025 as Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Adeniran Kolade Ademuwagun took over as the 14th Commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna. The colourful ceremony which took place at the Institute’s Headquarters featured the handing over of the Institute’s colours from the outgone Commandant, AVM Sani Labaran Rabe to the new Commandant.
In his speech at the event, AVM Ademuwagun revealed that his predecessor has diligently paid his dues to the best of his ability and that he was going to continue from where he left in the quest to push the Institute to a greater height. He remarked that leadership was driven by vision and conviction. He therefore promised to uphold the legacies of the outgone commandant while making consultations where necessary. He further stated that the driving force behind AFIT’s innovations was the need to solve problems. Hence, he charged the management and staff of the institute to be focused so as to solve existing problems through research and development, adding that the management staff must serve as guardians to the students with fairness, firmness and compassion.
In his farewell remarks, the out gone Commandant, AVM SL Rabe, thanked the Chief of the Air Staff for giving him the opportunity to serve and appreciated staff for their support. He urged personnel to extend the support given to him to his successor and wished the incoming commandant Gods wisdom, guidance and protection as he leads AFIT to greater heights.
AVM Rabe will be remembered for his contributions in repositioning the Institute into a global hub of multi-disciplinary academic and research excellence, while concurrently serving as the premier technical manpower development resource for the Nigerian Air Force. He instituted and sustained the payment of earned allowance, allowed flexibility of work schedules to ameliorate the effect of high transportation. He also sustained the non-teaching staff promotion exercise and implemented staff rotation for efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, he prioritized discipline among staff and students, provision of state-of-the-art laboratories, provision of ICT Hub among other infrastructural development.
It would be recalled that the incumbent Commandant had served previously as the Institute’s Deputy Commandant where he contributed immensely to the development of critical areas of the Institute. His in-depth knowledge of AFIT, following other appointments he had held within the Institute, is expected to fasttrack the development of the Institute and enhance its visibility at the global level.
Prior to his appointment, AVM Ademuwagun was the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Lagos. In the course of his military career, the Commandant has served in various instructional, staff and command appointments. Some of these include: Assistant Director, Information Communications Technology at Headquarters Nigerian Air Force; Dean, Faculty of Ground and Communications Engineering, AFIT, Kaduna; and Director of Information Communications Technology, AFIT, Kaduna. In addition, he was the Commander, 651 Base Services Group, Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja; Director of Communications Engineering, Headquarters Nigerian Air Force, Abuja; and Director of Defence Space Utilisation at Defence Headquarters, Abuja.
AVM Ademuwagun holds several academic qualifications which include: Masters in Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering (MTEL) from Obafemi Awolowo University; Masters in Engineering (Project Management) from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim Norway; Masters in Philosophy in Security and Strategic Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna; and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Engineering on Wireless Communications from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
The Commandant is among the very few professionals in Nigeria who hold a high-level certification in Cybersecurity. Notable among his decorations and awards are the General Service Star (GSS), Distinguished Service Star (DSS), Pass Staff College (psc), and Fellow of the prestigious National Defence College (fwc). He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Certified Member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Highlights of the handover/takeover ceremony included signing of handover note, inspection of the Quarter Guard and formal transfer of AFIT’s colours to the incumbent commandant.
Bassey Ibiang Okon PhD
Wing Commander
Director of Public Relations
Air Force Institute of Technology