NAF Marks One Year of Zero Aircraft Mishaps – A Milestone in Aviation Safety

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has achieved a major aviation safety breakthrough, celebrating 12 straight months without a single aircraft mishap—a feat the service attributes to deep-rooted reforms and an uncompromising culture of operational discipline.

At the 2025 Safety Review Board (SRB) meeting held at the NAF Headquarters in Abuja, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, hailed the achievement as a historic moment in NAF’s operational history.

> “This is not mere luck; it’s the result of consistent safety measures, accountability, and strategic leadership,” Abubakar noted.

The CAS emphasized that aviation accidents typically stem from lapses in procedures or decision-making, not fate. In 2025 alone, over 1,300 airmen and 157 officers received safety induction and awareness training, pushing the number of trained personnel to 1,199—a testament to NAF’s commitment to embedding safety education across all ranks.

He cautioned against complacency, stressing that “safety must be continuous and intentional,” especially as Nigeria ramps up its fleet through new acquisitions.

Also speaking at the event, the Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Abidoye, shared that 58 NAF units were evaluated and 31 safety inspections completed in the first half of 2025. He praised the internal safety structures, including the quarterly Safety Action Group meetings, as key drivers of NAF’s safety culture.

The session closed with a unified pledge from senior officers to make safety a permanent hallmark of Nigeria’s air operations.