The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) 213 Forward Operating Base Katsina has sensitised veterans and serving officers to future planning and financial management.

Air Commodore Garba Jibia, the commander of the base, during the event in Katsina on Saturday, said it was necessary to equip the veterans and the serving officers with the skills.

Mr Jibia said the event was part of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall Hassan Bala-Abubakar, ’s efforts to interact with veterans, learn about their challenges, and enable NAF to address them.

The commander said it was also an avenue through which NAF could gain from the veterans’ experiences, which he said can assist in improving their welfare.

He advised the retired personnel to avoid excessive spending, especially beyond their current earnings, urging those in service to prepare themselves for retirement.

Mr Jibia further advised them to consider ways to engage themselves and earn income after service, especially through creativity, hard and soft skills, farming, and other legal means.

“There is the need for the NAF to organise such events, for the whole serving officers and men, because it is relevant for them,” he said.

However, he urged the veterans to use the experience they acquired during active service to assist themselves and earn a complimentary income since they were no longer in service.

The commander assured them that whatever was discussed during the parley would be forwarded to the headquarters for appropriate action.

In a remark, AVM. Sadiq Kaita (rtd) lauded the initiative by the Chief of Air Staff, saying that veterans were given the opportunity to interact with officers.

“The parley will benefit the veterans as they have the opportunity to express their problems and will guide them to better plans for resource management,” he said.

In a presentation on strategies for veteran management, the NAF’s Veteran Affairs Officer, F/O,-Godfrey Baaki, said the course of veterans administration was not exhaustive.

“While NAF will remain committed to implementing effective strategies for veterans administration, feedback from units and the NAF veterans will provide decision-making tools for sustained action,” Mr Baaki said.

The parley was part of the NAF Base Annual Socio-Cultural Activities (BASA) 2025 event.

(NAN)