The new permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Ibrahim Kana, says one of his aspirations for the ministry is to deploy more military personnel to take up key positions.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Headquarters, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

According to him, Mr Kana made the assertion during his maiden visit to NAF Headquarters, that the right mix of civilians and military personnel working side-by-side at the ministry would reduce the bottlenecks usually experienced in handling and treating official matters affecting the services while also enhancing cooperation and collaboration.

He also promised that the ministry under his watch, would give special attention towards improving the standards of education and healthcare in schools and medical facilities run by the military.

This, he said, is in view of the critical role the infrastructure play in enhancing morale among troops.

Mr Gabkwet said Kana also emphasized the need for improved synergy, especially now that the various services continued to expand in size and roles, delving into each other’s responsibilities and expertise.

Mr Kana also commended NAF for its counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency efforts, while acknowledging the risks NAF personnel, especially the pilots, take towards securing the nation.

In his remarks, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, congratulated him on his new appointment and assured him of NAF’s readiness to support him towards a successful tour of duty.

He noted that going by the impeccable milestone achieved by the permanent secretary as noted in his citation, he is confident that the needed synergy between the services and the ministry would be much better.

The CAS further stated that for NAF and sister services, the culture of joint operations had come to stay and that the solution to the current security challenges requires a joint approach. 

(NAN)