Molly Kilete
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, has attributed the successful conduct of the 2019 general elections to the commitment of personnel of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
This is just as the CAS said that NAF had concluded the airlifting of electoral materials to Taraba, Adamawa and Bauchi states for the supplementary elections scheduled for March 23.
Abubakar, who made this known said that aside airlifting most of the electoral materials to 31 states of the federation, the NAF personnel worked round the clock to ensure that Nigerians voted for leaders of their choice.
Abubakar spoke at the opening of the Chief of the Staff first quarter training conference held at the NAF headquarters in Abuja.
The NAF chief, while commending the personnel of the service for their dedication and selfless service to the nation said: “The NAF was tasked with the responsibility of moving the electoral materials across the country and we moved over 850,000 kilograms of electoral materials using eight aircrafts to 31 different locations in the country and we were able to conclude these despite the fact that we were brought in late to ensure that the presidential and National Assembly elections, as well as the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections, were conducted.
He said: “We engaged 120 personnel based here in Abuja to move these materials.
“Even the supplementary elections, our aircrafts were able to convey some of the electoral materials yesterday to Jalingo, Yola, and Bauchi.
Similarly, we are rounding off the distribution of supplementary election materials to other areas that the INEC wants us to drop them.
“So I want to congratulate the personnel for their cooperation and supporting the move to ensure that the materials are where they are so that the Nigerian people can exercise their rights to elect their leaders.
“These contributions, I believe, are very significant and I don’t think if we were not there to do that, we would have had a smooth run.”