By Joy Odor, Abuja
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Dr. Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has thrown down the gauntlet to the country’s next generation of military leaders, warning them to embrace innovation, foresight, and proactive strategies or risk being overwhelmed by the rapidly shifting landscape of modern warfare.
Speaking at the graduation of Course 11/2025 of the Air War College in Makurdi on 24 September 2025, the Minister represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa declared that Nigeria’s security challenges, from terrorism and insurgency to piracy and organised crime, demand leaders who can think beyond convention.
“The rise of violent non-state actors and asymmetric warfare requires new ideas, bold strategies, and decisive leadership,” he warned. “The Nigerian Air Force has led the charge, and it is now your turn to make the difference.”
The Defence Minister hailed the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for prioritising professional military education as the bedrock of its transformation, stressing that intellectual firepower is as vital as weapons in today’s battles.
He applauded the Air War College’s international reach, noting the presence of allied officers from Cameroon, Botswana, and Morocco, alongside Nigerian Army and Navy counterparts.
Such collaboration, he said, is essential to breaking the back of transnational terror and crime networks destabilising Africa.
In his charge to the graduands, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, struck a stern note:
“Terrorism anywhere must be defeated before it undermines peace everywhere. The future of airpower rests in your hands, and your ability to employ it decisively will strike at the adversary’s centre of gravity.”
He stressed that Africa’s growing terror networks demand coordinated, innovative, and urgent responses, and charged the 29 graduating officers to rise as the torchbearers of Nigeria’s defence future.
The 37-week course, which began on 15 January 2025, tested the participants in leadership, joint operations, cyber warfare, and strategic planning.
Each officer was trained to integrate diplomatic, informational, military, and economic (DIME) tools of national power in prosecuting modern conflicts.
The Commandant, Air Vice Marshal Babatunde Phillips, described the ceremony as the culmination of “months of intellectual rigour and professional transformation.”
He urged the officers to apply their newly acquired skills to Nigeria’s pressing security challenges.
Special awards capped the day:
Cdr PC Onah emerged Overall Best and Best Research Paper awardee.
Gp Capt CJ Mbam placed Second Best.
Wg Cdr EA Okeke came Third Best.
Lt Col PNE Nguoa of Cameroon earned Best Allied Participant.
The Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, represented by Deputy Governor Barrister Sam Ode mni, lauded the Air Force’s sacrifices and reaffirmed state support for Nigeria’s Armed Forces.
As the 29 new fellows of the Air War College stepped forward, the message was clear: Nigeria’s future battles will not be won by firepower alone but by innovation, adaptability, and proactive leadership.
Or, as the Defence Minister put it bluntly: “Embrace innovation or be outrun.”
