By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON has received the Chief of Air Staff ( CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar, on a courtesy visit at the Government House, Gombe on Saturday.
The visit was part of Air Marshal Abubakar’s one-day official engagement in Gombe in furtherance of the Nigerian Air Force’s commitment to enhancing security and strengthening the formidable collaboration with the Gombe state government.
Receiving the CAS, Governor Inuwa Yahaya expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Air Force for its role in maintaining peace and security in Gombe State and the Northeast region, particularly on the sustained fight against insurgency, banditry and other criminal acts that threaten the peace and stability of Nigeria.
The governor attributed the state’s relative peace and stability to the synergistic efforts of the military and other security agencies, assuring of his administration’s continued support to the NAF and other sister organisations.
“Your visit today reaffirms the commitment of the Nigerian Air Force to the safety and security of our people. We are grateful for the continued support and partnership, which have been crucial in safeguarding Gombe State and by-large, the entire Northeast sub-region against security threats such as insurgency, banditry and other criminal acts”, Governor Inuwa Yahaya stated.
He reiterared his government’s commitment to providing necessary logistics and infrastructure to aid the operations of the Air Force in Gombe State.
“I assure you that we will continue to support the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies operating in Gombe State. At the NAF base, we will assist in building additional structures to accommodate your personnel and the facilities you deploy”, the Governor added.
Responding to the requests made by the Chief of Air Staff on the need to create a buffer zone of at least 1 kilometre at all sides of the NAF Combat Reconnaissance Base, and connecting the base to the Gombe regional water expansion system, the Governor instructed the Gombe Geographic Information System (GOGIS) and the Ministry of Water Resources to fast track the process of providing the requests made by the CAS.