Lead By Example, Serve With Courage, Chief Of Air Staff Tells Future Commanders
In a call for visionary and accountable leadership within Nigeria’s Armed Forces, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, has urged future commanders to lead by example, serve with courage, and manage with prudence, values he described as the bedrock of transformation and operational excellence.
Delivering a lecture titled “From Vision to Reality: Strategic Leadership Insights from the CAS Command Philosophy” to participants of the Senior and Junior Staff Courses at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, the Air Chief emphasised that leadership remains the most decisive factor in determining the success or failure of any organisation.
He explained that the transformation witnessed in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) under his command is anchored on a five-point leadership philosophy, optimising force structure, mission-oriented training, proactive logistics, prioritising research and development, and sustaining a motivated force through welfare and infrastructural renewal.
Air Marshal Abubakar highlighted his commitment to leadership by example, revealing that he had undertaken over 40 operational visits to 98 out of 99 NAF units nationwide within two years, a move he said reinforced accountability and boosted troop morale.
He also cited moral courage as essential to effective command, referencing the NAF’s proactive response to the 2023 Rukubi incident, which led to the creation of the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan, a framework that earned international commendation and helped lift U.S. arms sale restrictions on Nigeria.
Under his leadership, the NAF has recorded notable achievements, including the acquisition of 15 new aircraft, over 3,000 sorties as of September 2025, and a rise in aircraft serviceability from 66 to 70 per cent.
Charging the officers to embody courage, integrity, and foresight, the CAS reminded them that “the true leader plants a tree whose shade he may never sit under,” urging them to translate vision into reality through exemplary leadership and prudent management.
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