NAF, NEDDI, Partner
NAF, NEDDI, Partner on Aircraft
Serviceability
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is set to further strengthen its
strategic partnerships with the National Engineering Design
Development Institute (NEDDI) as well as Ibeto Group, an indigenous
company, both in Nnewi, Anambra State, to further boost Research
and Development (R&D) efforts towards finding innovative
solutions to NAF engineering and technical problems. The rationale
for expanding the partnerships is to ensure enhanced self-reliance
in aircraft and equipment maintenance for the effective and
efficient employment of Air Power in response to Nigeria’s national
security imperatives. This was made known yesterday, 5 November
2019, by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique
Abubakar, when he visited the 2 organizations.
While on the visit to the Ibeto Group Factory Complex, the CAS
expressed his extreme delight with how the company had continued to
partner with the NAF to produce batteries for the Mi-35P Helicopter
Gunship which was being employed in operations to combat terrorists
and insurgents in the Northeast as well as armed bandits and other
criminal elements in the Northwest. He lauded the contributions of
the company not only to the NAF but also to the entire Country. The
CAS noted that the availability of spares and consumables was
crucial to having sufficient number of serviceable aircraft and, in
turn, critical to ensuring effective and efficient employment of
Air Power, which is vital to success in modern warfare. He noted
that while the NAF continues to enjoy support from its allies and
friendly nations, it also realizes the need to develop indigenous
capacity to produce some of the needed aircraft spares locally.
This, he said, informed the NAF’s decision to prioritize its
partnerships with local companies like the Ibeto Group. The CAS
also disclosed that, in order to further benefit from the inherent
capabilities of the Company, a joint team comprising NAF officers
and staff of Ibeto Group would immediately be set up to explore
other areas of mutual benefit, that would boost NAF operations,
through reduced aircraft downtimes, whilst also saving much-needed
foreign exchange and implicitly keying into the Federal
Government’s policy of job creation for Nigerian youths.
Earlier in his remarks the Executive Director Operations and
Investment Ibeto Group, Chief Eze Echesi, who received the CAS on
behalf of the Chairman of the Group, Chief Cletus Ibeto, stated
that the Company was extremely pleased with the level of support
and collaboration between the 2 organizations. He equally canvassed
for a deepening of the partnership as well as expansion of the
areas of patronage to include the production of batteries for other
NAF aircraft types as well as the production of lubricants and
other consumables for NAF platforms. The visit to Ibeto Group
featured a brief on the Company’s history, activities, products and
projects, which was followed by a tour of the factory complex.
At NEDDI Nnewi, Air Marshal Abubakar, who was received by the
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Engr Dr Arinze Nwosu,
restated his commitment to developing indigenous technology through
collaboration with the Institute. He noted that the NAF, through
its existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NEDDI’s Parent
Agency, the National Agency for Science and Engineering
Infrastructure (NASENI) of the Federal Ministry of Science and
Technology, had undertaken a few collaborative projects with the
Institue. However, he emphasized that his visit to the Institute
was aimed at identifying additional areas of collaboration where
the NAF could tap from the Institute’s knowledge base and
experience. He noted that this would include collaborative
engagements between NEDDI and the Air Force Institute of Technology
(AFIT) Kaduna. He reiterated that no country could fight a war
effectively when wholly dependent on other countries for
technology; hence the need to continuously look inwards for
homegrown solutions.
Earlier, the NEDDI MD/CEO, while welcoming the CAS, stated that
the Institute could serve as a centre for human capacity
development of NAF engineers and technicians, especially in the
areas of engineering design; machining; welding, fabrication and
equipment assembly as well as Information and Communication
Technology (ICT), amongst others. Before undertaking a tour of the
facilities and products of the Institute, the CAS was briefed on
NEDDI’s organization, skills and competencies, existing
collaborative engagements as well as recent successes.
The CAS, who was accompanied by Principal Staff Officers from
Headquarters NAF as well as the Air Officers Commanding (AOCs)
Mobility Command and Ground Training Command, had earlier visited
the 115 Special Operations Group (115 SOG) Port Harcourt to inspect
the ongoing reactivation work on an Mi-35P helicopter being jointly
executed by a team of expatriate technical experts as well as NAF
engineers and technicians.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force