The Nigerian Air Force
(NAF) on Thursday said it had instituted compulsory sporting activities in all its formations to get officers and men ready for combat and internal security deployment.
The Tidesports reports that NAF had played key roles leading to the successes recorded in the fight against insurgency within the country and at the multi-national joint taskforce level.
The Commander of NAF Base, Enugu, Air Commodore Mahmud Madi, told newsmen in Enugu that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, had begun equipping all formations with more sporting facilities to meet the set target.
“Nigerian Air Force as I said is synonymous with physical fitness and sports. We have this quarterly route match that we did in January and in April.
“We also have the combat sports that the present Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, started this year.
“The combat sports were where a lot of activities that had not been done in the past were done such as – swimming, taekwondo and all the rest. “We also have the 10-kilometre walk-jog, which is an annual event.
“Again, we have the weekly games that we do every Wednesday in all NAF formations across the country.
“The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, is at the point of building gymnasiums in most of the formations that will help propel physical fitness, “ he said.
Madi, who is also the Commander of NAF 95 Helicopter Combat Training Group, Enugu, said that the exercises were meant to toughen and raise the level of stamina of air force officers and men to stand the rigours of combat at anytime.