A total of 15 retired senior officers were flown out today by the Nigerian Air Force. The fly-out ceremony was part of activities marking the NAFs 59th anniversary ceremony held in Enugu. The affected officers comprised 5 Air Vice Marshals and 10 Air Commodores, who retired from the Service between June-November 2022. While on active service, they were members of the Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Courses 37, 38 and 39; and Direct Regular Courses 10 and 11.
The senior officers retired voluntarily from the Service of the Nigerian Air Force as some had spent the 35 years maximum service, while others separated based on age-rank incompatibility, and terminal promotion. The senior officers were joined by their spouses at the colourful ceremony organized to bid them farewell for their meritorious service to the nation.
Air Vice Marshall Dauda Garuba Prayero spoke on behalf of the retired officers, recalling with affection how the trip began many years ago.
“The difficult times and challenging moments during their service years when some of our course mates left without ceremony, while some paid the ultimate price in the defense of our fatherland,” claims Prayero. Peace be upon them, please.
“The experience gained over the years cannot be measured, but the voyage thus far has been rather eventful. Like any endeavor in life, there are good times and memories, but in the end, we can say with pride that we are grateful that everything turned out well,” added Prayer0.
Prayero praised Air Marshall Oladayo Amao, Chief of Air Staff, calling him a wise mentor and pragmatist.
As no one succeeds in any endeavor without the assistance and contributions of others, your selfless and impartial leadership has inspired us all to develop and express ourselves to the fullest extent possible.
We are glad and appreciative of the support you provided to us while we were still trying to figure ourselves out in the service up until this point, I say to our colleagues, both current and retired.
“To all of our coworkers who are still serving, I want to reassure you that even after retirement, we won’t let you down because we’ll keep using our abilities to advance the Nigerian Air Force and the country as a whole. We wish you well and hope that you always depart from your landings as we bow out of the military, Prayero said.