Post by SSA.NEWMEDIA.ABIA (@SSANEWMEDIAABIA)
SECURITY AS A RIGHT
Being the Text of an Address Presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the Commissioning of the Nigerian Air Force Complex in Umuahia on Friday, July 31, 2026
Protocol
1. Today’s event is significant for a number of reasons; firstly, it marks another major milestone in our avowed commitment to the peace and security of our dear State but most fundamentally, it points to the reality of what is possible when national and subnational governments are united in the pursuit of a common agenda. The completion and handover of an administrative complex to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) by the State Government speaks eloquently to the determination of the administration to leave no stone unturned in the push to keep our people safe from all forms of threats by the enemies of peace. For us, the right to the security for our people, whether they are resident or visiting, is non-negotiable. Therefore, bringing the Nigerian Air Force to Abia is a dream come true because it completes the footprints of the armed forces of our nation in the State; complementing the presence of the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Barracks in Ohafia and the Nigerian Navy College of Accounts and Finance in Owerrinta.
2. We are sincerely grateful to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Tinubu, GCFR, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, for their warm disposition and support for the presence of the Nigerian Airforce in Abia. I, therefore, formally welcome the Nigerian Air Force to Abia and make open the assurances that we shall, within the limits of our powers, provide whatever is required to guarantee their success across different frontlines of operations here in our State, just like we do for the other agencies. Our people are warm and hospitable so you will not only feel at home, you will enjoy being in Abia.
3. The commissioning of this complex is only the first layer of initiatives we have lined up for the NAF. We have since allocated 120 hectares of land to the Air Force at the upcoming Abia Airport in Nsulu with plans for the building of a modern base already in place. The air force base project shall kick off as soon as the runway is completed. It may also be worthwhile to inform this esteemed audience that we have since secured residential accommodation for the personnel of the Air Force in different parts of the capital city. This is to make it easy for them to settle in as quickly as possible and face their job without distractions. The State Government is particularly keen on partnering with the Air Force in the education of our children as we are looking beyond security, although that is primary. We are, however, as interested in security as we are in manpower development through quality education and other streams of benefits that NAF can offer the State. The administration is therefore willing to do more for the Air Force because we are optimistic that ours will be a long-term symbiotic relationship.
4. Security is at the heart of everything we do because we know for a fact that no real development can happen without a firm resolve to guarantee the safety of the population. Beyond the strings of straight-line efforts made to keep our people and their property safe, the foundation of our success is in the commitment to economic development through generous outlays in infrastructure and manpower development and other initiatives that activate the productive engines of the economy. The overarching agenda is to create jobs, revive dormant assets and expose our people to new streams of opportunities for sustainability. In our book, fighting crimes begins with a frontal attack on unemployment and the introduction of systems that reward hard work. I am glad that slowly but steadily, many young people are beginning to see that they can actually make it without breaking the law.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CPQwBF1mg/
0 likes · 0 comments · 0 shares