By Olukayode Michael
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has completed the airlifting of relief materials to Mozambique and Zimbabwe to further assist victims of the massive flooding that affected some communities in those countries in April 2019. The airlift missions, which were conducted for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), conveyed critical relief materials such as drugs, medical supplies and treated mosquito nets donated by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to alleviate the sufferings of the flood victims.
The airlift missions were executed by NAF C-130 Hercules aircraft, in furtherance of the NAF’s constitutional roles of projecting air power beyond the shores of the Country as well as providing Military Aid to Civil Authority. The C-130H airlifted 12,000 Kg (12 tonnes) of relief materials from Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja to the Maputo International Airport, Maputo Mozambique on 26 August 2019, while 8,100 Kg (8 tonnes) of materials were delivered at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport Harare, Zimbabwe today, 31 August 2019. The NAF aircrew and NEMA officials handed over the items to Officials from the Nigeria High Commission in the 2 countries for onward delivery to their host governments.
Prior to this, the NAF had, in May 2019, conducted the first batch of the airlift missions for NEMA using an ATR-42 aircraft, in 3 sorties, to airlift a total of 15,000 Kg (15 tonnes) of similar relief materials to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. It may be recalled that, in August 2017, the NAF had similarly airlifted 38,000 Kg of FGN-donated relief materials to Freetown, Sierra Leone, in the aftermath of the devastating mudslides and floods that ravaged the Country.
