Army to expand aviation programme, moves to train pilots in South Africa
The Nigerian Army is expanding its aviation programme and exploring opportunities to train its pilots in South Africa. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, announced this yesterday
The Nigerian Army is expanding its aviation programme and exploring opportunities to train its pilots in South Africa.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, announced this yesterday when he hosted the Chief of the South African Army, Lt.-Gen. Lawrence Mbatha, at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
Mbatha is on an official working visit to Nigeria.
Shaibu said the training is a part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s operational capabilities and long-standing military relations between the two countries.
The COAS said the Nigerian Army hoped to leverage the South African Army’s strong aviation capability to train its personnel.
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He said: “The issue of the Nigerian Army aviation is very important to us. Of course, we are fully aware that the South African Army has a very good aviation establishment.
“The Nigerian Army is currently developing its aviation capability and expects the programme to grow significantly in the coming years.
“Currently, we are building our army aviation and would like to leverage opportunities available to train our pilots in South Africa. The Nigerian Army aviation will start to grow exponentially in the next few years, and we are leveraging that.”
