The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has restated the need for credible intelligence as a prerequisite for the successful prosecution of the ongoing counter insurgency and anti-banditry operations across the country.
He opined that good intelligence indispensable for the success of any operation, particularly air operations, “whose effect can be devastating and as such mistakes are unacceptable”.
Abubakar, who made the observation during the graduation ceremony of Young Officers’ Course (Intelligence) 1/2020, at the Defence Intelligence College, Karu Abuja, noted that, “the only way to get good intelligence is by building robust networks that are predicated on excellence and competence which can only be achieved through good training of intelligence operators”.
According to him, “it is in this regard a lot of resources was invested into your training. I am glad that the course has been designed in such a way to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge required to address these issues of Internal Security.
“I hereby urge you to imbibe the tenets of the Intelligence Cycle which involves collection of information/data, processing of such information into actionable intelligence and prompt dissemination to appropriate authority for necessary action.
“It is equally important to recruit reliable intelligence sources in the field and ensure that information provided are credible. I urge you therefore to bring the skills and capacity acquired during the Course to bear in your future deployment.
“As you leave the training environment, you should be guided by utmost sense of patriotism and avoid acts of misconduct that could tarnish the image and reputation of the Service. Let me say that I have followed the progress of the Course and I am convinced that the products would meet the desired expectation.”
He added further that, “we are all aware that our country is currently going through security challenges which require the efforts of all security agencies. Particularly, to successfully prosecute the ongoing counter insurgency and anti-banditry operations across the country, intelligence is key.
“It gives me great pleasure to be part of this important and landmark occasion, which is the graduation ceremony of the maiden Young Officers’ Course (Intelligence) for Nigerian Air Force officers holding in the Defence Intelligence College.
“The decision to conduct the Course for these selected Nigerian Air Force Officers here at the Defence Intelligence College is borne out of my desire to produce well-grounded intelligence officers capable of supporting the Nigerian Air Force in delivering on its constitutional mandate.
“This disposition is in tandem with my aspiration to reposition the Nigerian Air Force into a highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security imperatives. Over the years, the Defence Intelligence College has become the citadel of intelligence training and thus reputed for developing qualitative man power in the field of Intelligence thereby aiding commanders’ decision making for effective conduct of operations.”
Earlier in address, the Commandant of the College, Commodore M G. Oamen, noted that “the reality of the contemporary security issues today in our country, underscores the need for human capital development, robust and result-oriented training to enhance the operational capability of the Nigerian Armed Forces”.
He observed that “in pursuit of this reality, the Young Officers’ Course Intelligence 1/2020 has a curriculum that is designed to ensure we develop qualitative manpower in the part of intelligence, for effective intelligence collection, acquisition, analysis and prompt dissemination, all in support of Military Operations.”

By Okodili Ndidi