By Olukayode Michael
As part of its renewal efforts to ensure that its personnel live in decent and comfortable accommodation for effective and efficient service delivery, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Saturday, 31 August, commissioned a renovated block of 30 x 2-bedroom flats for Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) at the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos.
While commissioning the accommodation, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command (AOC LC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Abdulganiyu Olabisi, stated that one of the top priorities of the current NAF Administration has been the provision of decent housing for personnel and their families.
In a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Airforce Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the initiative aimed at ensuring that personnel remained focused on the task of ensuring the safety and security of Nigeria and Nigerians.
He remarked that the Service, over the last four years, had not only embarked on the construction of new residential accommodations but also ensured that existing ones, which had become dilapidated over the years, received adequate attention in order to address the challenges of accommodation for personnel in NAF Units across the country.
This, he said, has impacted positively on the welfare of personnel thereby motivating them for effective performance of their duties.
The representative of the CAS, while challenging occupants of the renovated block to ensure adequate maintenance of the facilities, noted that in the First Quarter of 2019, similar buildings on Sam Ethnan Air Force Base had been renovated.
“We have renovated 2 blocks of 30 x 2-bedroom flats this year, while the renovation of another block of 30 x 2-bedroom flats is ongoing and will be completed in a few weeks”, he said. He further disclosed that, in addition to the renovated blocks, 2 blocks of 6 x 3-bedroom flats were being constructed at the Junior Officers’ Quarters on the Base, which, when completed in a few months, would further ameliorate the accommodation challenges of junior officers on the Base. He noted that, as part of efforts to enhance the capacity of personnel of the NAF Works and Services Directorates as well as save cost, some of the projects were being executed by direct labour.
He therefore commended the Director of Services Headquarters NAF and his team for their efforts in ensuring the timely and efficient completion of the renovation works, while also appreciating the Commander 651 Base Services Group for his effective supervision of the project.