President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said a very strong, modern and proactive military is a catalyst to achieving his administration’s Transformation Agenda and solve the ongoing security problems and development challenges in the polity.
Speaking at the flagging-off ceremony of the 2nd Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Air, tagged Air Expo 2012, holding at the NAF Base, Kaduna, Jonathan called on all well-meaning Nigerians to rally round the government in its bid to stop the orgy of violence bedeviling the country.
He said: “Our nation is today faced with sundry security and development challenges. Effectively confronting and overcoming these challenges calls for the unwavering patriotic commitment of all stakeholders in the Nigerian enterprise, to enthrone those ideals that will not only build bridges of harmony, but also unleash the great human and natural resource endowment which Nigeria is immensely blessed with.
?“We are convinced that a strong, modern and proactive military is pivotal to the attainment of the goals of the transformation agenda. It is against this backdrop that the 2012 national budget gave priority consideration to the enhancement of the operational readiness of our Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies”.
The president acknowledged the NAF leadership’s dream at modernising the force and his administration’s support for the vision.
“As part of our commitment to enhancing the capacity of the Nigeria Air Force in particular, the Federal Government has, in the last few years, substantially funded fleet enhancement”, he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar had explained that the expo was meant seek innovative solutions to the ever evolving national and global challenges especially at the aviation and security sector.
He said: “Our aim is to seek out every foreseeable and available knowledge and technology that would facilitate the attainment of our primary goal-that is, securing and protecting the territorial integrity of our dear nation from the air, while at the same time providing a platform for dissemination of such knowledge and technology in a manner that would ensure the economic growth and development of the country in particular and West Africa sub-region in general.
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