A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) officer, Group Captain David Babalola recently bagged the Commandant’s Award for the Best Research Paper during the graduation ceremony held for the first set of participants of the Naval Warfare Course at the Naval War College Nigeria. The award winning research paper is titled ‘Health Care Delivery and Human Security: An Assessment of the National Health Insurance Scheme in the NAF’. Group Captain Babalola also received the Chief of the Naval Staff’s Award for emerging as the Second Best participant on the Naval Warfare Course.
The NAF officer received both awards during the College’s first graduation ceremony, which was held on 15 December 2017 at the College premises in Ubima, Rivers State.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the graduation ceremony, tasked the graduating participants to bring to bear the knowledge they had acquired in the new responsibilities that would be assigned to them in their respective Services. In addition, the CDS acknowledged the continued support of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, was represented at the occasion by Air Vice Marshal Stephen Onuh, who is the Air Officer Commanding Mobility Command of the NAF.
Participants of Naval Warfare Course 1 were made up of 12 officers from the Nigerian Navy in addition to one Nigerian Army and two from the NAF.
The participation of two NAF officers in the Naval Warfare Course is in line with the CAS Vision, which focuses on inter-Service cooperation as one of its key drivers. The performance of the award-winning NAF officer during the Course is in keeping with the excellent tradition for which the NAF is renowned. Besides, it is seen as an attestation of the fact that the efforts of the CAS to promote excellence among NAF personnel are yielding fruits.
