“We’ll Keep Insurgents Running — They Won’t Have Time to Plan,” Says Newly Confirmed Air Chief

Janet Samuel

Newly confirmed Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, on Wednesday, vowed to lead a swift, intelligent, and lethal Nigerian Air Force (NAF) that will keep insurgents “running without time to think or plan.”

Appearing before the National Assembly for his confirmation, AVM Aneke declared that his leadership approach will combine discipline with strategic innovation in the nation’s airspace. “I use the word lethal in a professional sense,” he said. “Because a man running from you will not have the time to plan to hurt you.”

He outlined a vision anchored on training, technology, safety, and strategic innovation, stressing that military strength in the modern era “is not measured by brute force but by superior intellect and adaptability.”

AVM Aneke’s confirmation followed his nomination by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. He succeeds Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, officially assuming leadership of the Air Force and a seat on the Armed Forces Council alongside other Service Chiefs.

Lawmakers praised Aneke’s track record, describing him as an officer with depth, operational dexterity, and intellectual grounding. Nobility time as Air Officer Commanding, Mobility Command, was singled out for strengthening the NAF’s strategic airlift capabilities and improving its responsiveness in joint operations. His leadership in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) was also commended for enhancing Nigeria’s counterinsurgency efforts.

Beyond the appointment itself, analysts view Aneke’s confirmation as both constitutional and strategic. Constitutionally, it reinforces civilian oversight and the National Assembly’s accountability role in military affairs. Strategically, it signals a continuation of the Air Force’s modernisation drive and its commitment to expanding Nigeria’s airpower reach while deepening civil-military relations.

Aneke brings both scholarly and operational experience to the position. A graduate of the United States Air War College, Montgomery, Alabama, he also holds multiple postgraduate degrees in Strategic Studies, International Affairs and Diplomacy, and Political Economy and Development Studies. With over 4,300 flight hours on multiple aircraft types, he is widely regarded as one of the Air Force’s most accomplished pilots.

Present at the confirmation were the Minister of Defence, Dr Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, and the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, among other dignitaries.

As he takes over command, the new Air Chief assured Nigerians that the NAF under his leadership will be “swift in action, precise in strike, and intelligent in execution”, a force, he said, “built not merely for power, but for purpose, protection, and progress.”