25 Senior Officers Affected as NAF Rejigs Postings

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced the redeployment of 25 senior officers in what officials describe as a major effort to strengthen operational efficiency, improve command coordination, and inject fresh energy into its leadership structure.

The development, approved by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, reflects the Force’s ongoing commitment to restructuring its command framework to meet evolving national security challenges. In a statement issued on Friday by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, the Air Chief said the redeployment was aimed at ensuring optimal performance and strategic alignment across all formations, commands, and institutions under the service. The new postings affect several Air Officers Commanding (AOCs), branch chiefs, directors, and heads of key units. According to the statement, the shake-up is expected to improve the Air Force’s operational readiness and enhance the synergy between its combat units, training institutions, and administrative branches. Gabkwet noted that the exercise was part of routine administrative adjustments designed to ensure that senior officers with proven experience and leadership capabilities are positioned where their contributions would have the greatest impact Among those affected are Air Vice Marshals and Air Commodores redeployed to critical positions, including policy formulation, operations management, logistics, intelligence, and training. Some officers were posted to head command schools, regional formations, and key departments at NAF Headquarters in Abuja, while others were assigned to command air operations and specialized support units across the country Defence analysts view the latest redeployment as part of a broader reform agenda by the Chief of the Air Staff to reposition the NAF for more effective response to internal and external security threats, including insurgency, banditry, and emerging airspace challenges. The shake-up also coincides with similar personnel movements recently undertaken across other branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces, suggesting a coordinated restructuring effort under the Defence Headquarters The Air Force leadership emphasized that the officers’ redeployment takes immediate effect and urged the newly appointed commanders to justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering on the service’s core mission — protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity and supporting joint military operations across the country. The Nigerian Air Force, over the years, has maintained a policy of periodic rotation among its senior personnel to promote professional development and sustain institutional dynamism. This latest exercise, coming at a time of intensified military operations nationwide, is seen as a move to ensure greater efficiency, accountability, and adaptability in addressing Nigeria’s complex security environment.